Fear and Fidelity
by minixoxmya
Summary: You really never know how much someone means to you until you come face to face with losing them.
1. Fear

**So call me crazy but I'm starting a new story! Updates should be swift because it's actually already written and finished so all I'll need to do is upload. **

**This is loosely based off Pixie Lott – Broken Arrow, it was my inspiration for writing it but it's only really loosely based off it like I said. **

**I know this story will seem somewhat similar to one of my other stories that is on hiatus at the moment but it plans out very differently. It is rated M for some violent and later sexual scenes but I don't think I really need to tell you that =P**

**Gonna throw in a little disclaimer in here, I don't own the songs I'm using! If I did I'd be a musical genius and well I'm not! **

**I'm planning to update once a week so keep your eyes peeled for regular updates!**

**Enjoy and review!**

~TG~

'_He's the part that is missing,  
>I miss him, I'm missing him,<br>Oh I miss him I miss him, I'm missing him_,_'_

-Pixie Lott – Broken Arrow

~TG~

Twenty one year old Gabriella Montez sat on her bed looking through the photographs she had strewn across her bed.

She loved looking at photographs of her past; she looked at them as physical memories for the times that her mind had failed her.

Her brother had been killed when she was just five years old, physical memories were all that she had left. She could picture odd days but had no real solid memories of the brother that she had never gotten the chance to know.

She picked up another picture, smoothing it over with her thumb gently.

This was one of her favorites.

In the picture were an elderly man and a small girl, her thick curly brown hair reaching to her shoulders. The elderly man was brushing his thumb softly against the small girl's cheek, looking at her with total adoration.

The elderly man was Gabriella's grandpa, her best friend. He had passed away in 2003, following the death of her beloved grandmother and preceding only by days the death of her second grandfather.

That year had been a struggle for Gabriella; she had pushed most of the memories from her mind, struggling desperately to deal with her feelings alone.

She had never sought help, fearful that she would be branded as weak and crazy if she ever shared how much she was struggling.

A knock on the door broke Gabriella from her trance; quickly she wiped the tears from her cheek and got up to answer the door.

"Hey there Beautiful," As she opened the door, the voice of her best friend Troy Bolton flooded her ears. She giggled quietly, Troy had always been a flirt but Gabriella didn't mind, he never failed to put a smile on her face.

Troy and Gabriella had been best friends since both had arrived in California. Gabriella had moved from upstate New York to study law at Stanford while Troy had moved from Albuquerque to study Marine Science at the University of California Berkeley.

They had met through mutual friends and had been inseparable ever since.

"Hey Troy," Gabriella smiled as she stepped aside, letting her best friend enter her apartment and settle himself on the large couch.

Troy frowned, he studied Gabriella for a moment and worry took over his body. Her eyes were red and swollen, her cheeks puffy and tear stained and the sounds of quiet sniffles filled the air.

Quickly he leapt up from the couch and pulled Gabriella firmly into his arms.

"Ella? Beautiful, what's the matter?" Troy asked concerned, wrapping his arms tighter around her petite body and snuggling his face into her neck.

Gabriella sighed slowly; in all the time she and Troy had been best friends she had never once shared the bitter past that haunted her.

She had always feared that Troy would think she was crazy, damaged by her past experiences. She feared that he would leave her, not wanting anything to do with anybody that was so emotionally broken.

But today, it looked like she had no choice.

"Um, I've got some stuff I think I should tell you," she whispered fearfully, grabbing Troy's hand and leading him towards her bedroom.

As they entered her bedroom Troy frowned again, wondering why there were photographs strew across her bed. Troy hadn't seen these pictures before, he and Gabriella had spent numerous nights flicking through photo albums from her childhood but he had never set his eyes on these.

"Sit, can you just listen and not talk until I'm done?" Gabriella asked quietly, watching Troy as he nodded silently and encouraged her to go on. "Well ok, I had a brother…other than Nikolas; he was killed when I was little. This is him," Gabriella handed Troy a photograph of a teenage boy, he was standing next to a younger boy, a small girl and had a baby cradled in his arms.

Troy studied the photograph carefully, he knew the younger boy to be Gabriella's older brother Nikolas, the girl in the photograph was most definitely Gabriella, and this meant that the baby was most certainly Gabriella's younger sister Gianna.

Troy was shocked, he had been sure that he knew everything about Gabriella, to know that she had been hiding such a traumatic past experience pained him.

"Ella, why didn't you tell me?" Troy asked, picking up another one of the photographs laid on her bed and looking at it closely.

Gabriella winced; she had feared that would be Troy's reaction. She hugged her legs tightly to her chest and rested her face on her knees, willing away the tears that were quickly forming in her eyes.

Troy noticed Gabriella reaction, threw down the photographs and wrapped Gabriella tightly into his arms.

"I'm not mad sweetheart, just worried. I thought we told each other everything, why did you feel you had to hide this from me?" He probed gently, pulling them back further onto the bed so that they were positioned comfortably in a laying position.

Gabriella scrunched her eyes up tightly, she hated being openly vulnerable and wished with everything she had that the feelings she was feeling would just disappear on their own.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to think I was crazy. You know how much I struggle with my grief for grandpa; I didn't want to add something else to the list of things that have made me so messed up. I just wanted to be normal," Gabriella snuggled her face into Troy's neck, breathing in his calming scent as he rubbed his hand up and down her back soothingly.

Troy sighed quietly, he had spend many hours comforting Gabriella as she, even after so many years, struggled through the grief of losing her grandpa. Not once had he any idea that there were other issues within her that were struggling to come out.

"You're not crazy Gabriella! Don't ever feel like you can't share something like that with me, I would never think you were crazy. You shouldn't bottle stuff up, you know that." Troy tightened his grip on a now sobbing Gabriella. He was at a complete loss as to what he could do to help her; deciding the only thing he could do was to hold her, he wriggled down the bed slightly and pulled Gabriella to lie against his chest, stroking her hair soothingly as she cried.

"I miss him so much Troy, what am I supposed to do without him?" Gabriella sobbed; Troy knew she was talking about her grandpa; this was a line he had heard hundreds of times before.

Gabriella's grandpa had been her world growing up, while both her parents worked full time and Nikolas was at school, her grandpa had taken care of herself and Gianna on an almost full time basis.

While Gianna had always been favored for being the youngest, Gabriella had always known she was her grandpa's favorite. It was no family secret that Nikolas was only half brother to Gabriella and Gianna. Gabriella's mother, Natalia, had been married once before, he had been the father to both older brothers. Natalia had thought she had found true love when she had married Gabriella's father Giovanni, sadly two years after the birth of their youngest daughter the couple divorced.

Gabriella had been the first grandchild to her grandpa, he was at the beginnings of old age and neither of his sons had had children, he was sure that he would never be blessed with grandchildren. He had been overjoyed by the birth of Gabriella; she was the light of his life, the chance of a grandchild that he never thought he would get.

"I know you do Beautiful, but you just have to keep living your life. He wouldn't want you to be sad, he would be so proud of right now you know that? You've grown into this stunningly beautiful, smart, kind woman. Ella, I know you miss him, but you just can't let that destroy you." Troy pressed a delicate kiss to her forehead, savoring the feel of her skin against his lips, knowing that it would be a long time before he got to feel that again.

Troy was no stranger to his own feelings; from the moment he had been introduced to Gabriella by a friend at a party he had been captivated. She had been wearing a short tight silver dress and her long curly hair flowed freely down her back, he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her all night.

The friend who had introduced them had informed Troy that Gabriella didn't date, that something had happened in her past that stopped her from opening up to others enough to let them into her life in such an intimate way.

From that day forward, Troy vowed that if he couldn't be with Gabriella as her boyfriend, he would be with her as her best friend.

It wasn't until now that he realized just why she hadn't wanted to enter into any form of relationship. Everyone she had loved, everyone she had trusted, had disappeared from her life leaving her sure that anyone she got close to would do the exact same thing.

He wondered if there would ever be a right time to tell her how he felt about her. The friendship that they shared seemed too sacred to destroy, and he feared that revealing his feelings for her would do just that.

While it was evident that Gabriella still had a lot of issues to work through, her friendship with Troy had enabled her to recover from her distrust of people and she had begun dating a guy she had met at work.

Twenty two year old Seth Keres was a Mathematics major at UC Berkeley. He had met Gabriella while working in a local coffee shop and had instantly charmed her with his smooth personality. Troy had been wary of Seth the first time they had met at Gabriella's apartment; he liked to think he was a good judge of character and in his opinion was Seth couldn't be trusted.

Seth and Gabriella had been dating for six months and as much as Troy wanted to express his dislike and distrust for Seth, he made Gabriella happy and he endeavored to keep his opinions to himself to protect her happiness.

It wasn't long before Troy realized that he had been drifting in and out of sleep for the last three hours as Gabriella slept contently snuggled into his arms.

"Ella, wake up Beautiful," Troy whispered against Gabriella's cheek, hoping to wake her from her much needed sleep gently rather than forcefully.

He watched with longing as her nose scrunched up and her eyes flickered open, it was the littlest expressions that Troy loved most about Gabriella.

"What time is it?" Gabriella asked quietly, her voice husky from sleep and her eyes only just adjusting to the light that still shone through her bedroom window.

"A little before six, you fancy going out and getting some pizza?" Troy asked as he brushed a stay piece of hair from her eyes, falling deeply into her auburn eyes.

Gabriella shook her head slowly, pushing herself up from the bed and settling herself on the edge.

"I can't tonight, Seth is coming to pick me up at seven and we're going for dinner," Troy frowned; he knew that Gabriella loved Seth, or at least thought that she did, and it concerned him to think that she had so easily trusted a man that Troy was sure was not to be trusted.

He pulled Gabriella back into a laying position once again, pulling her head towards his chest and cradling her in his strong arms.

"Will you just be careful? I don't know what it is about him Gabriella, but I just don't trust him." Troy whispered his words of caution against her silky hair, kissing her head lovingly as he spoke and wrapping his arms around her head protectively.

Gabriella felt fear begin to rise within her veins; she had been keeping something else from Troy, something huge that she was sure she could never ever tell him. It was a secret that would destroy his world, a secret that Gabriella had, and always would, struggle to keep quiet.

~TG~

Gabriella looked at herself in the mirror and smiled; she usually didn't get excited for dates with Seth but for some reason tonight was different.

She was wearing a black dress with white butterflies and black belt around her waist, thick warm black tights, a black cardigan and stylish black heels. Her thick black hair flowed down her back in loose curls and her makeup was natural yet beautiful.

A knock on the door signaled Seth's arrival.

"Uh you look amazing," Seth moaned as Gabriella answered her door. He pulled her into his arms, rubbing himself against her before moving his hands down and squeezing her butt firmly.

Gabriella cringed slightly, she had been excited for this date but her excitement was quickly wearing away.

She wasn't a virgin…no, that time had long passed in high school, but she had only slept with Seth once. He had played on her vulnerabilities and somewhat taken advantage of one of her bad days and sweet talked her into sleeping with him.

She hated that she had allowed him to do that, at the time it had seemed like a good idea, a good way to relax and forget about her problems. Afterwards however, she felt sick; she couldn't believe she had given in to what he wanted.

"Can we just go eat Seth? I'm really hungry," Seth grinned at his girlfriend, grabbing her hand harshly and pulling her along the corridor towards the stairs and down to their awaiting car.

Seth was born into a family of money; he had never worked a day in his life and threw around his money like it was trash. Soon after they began dating Gabriella found out that Seth had been arrested for drunk driving, the only reason his case had not gone to court was because he had offered to pay for the police department to have their main building renovated.

Gabriella hated that he flaunted his money in such a way, she disliked lots of things about Seth but there was something about having someone to love and who seemed to love you back that had always kept her from leaving.

After a short car journey the couple made their way into a fancy Italian restaurant in Fremont. Seth had brought Gabriella here before, just a couple of weeks after they had begun dating, it had been a nice evening but Gabriella wished they had gone somewhere a little more relaxed.

"So, did you do anything nice today?" Seth asked, making small talk between them as they looked over the menus that had been placed in front of him.

Gabriella thought for a moment before she spoke, knowing that telling Seth she had spent most of her day with Troy would anger him.

"Um, Troy came over and we just hung out for most of the day. You know, watched movies, talked and stuff," Gabriella spoke cautiously, looking up at Seth as she spoke before quickly glancing down at her menu once again.

Seth clenched his fists; he hated that there was another man closer to his girl than he way, he hated knowing that Troy spent nights snuggled up with Gabriella in her bed when she would never allow him to stay after dates, and he hated that Troy always seemed to be around.

"Do you have to see that guy? Doesn't he have any other friends? I don't want you to see him anymore," Gabriella slammed the menu down on the table when she heard Seth's words, she very rarely got angry but Seth really knew how to push her buttons.

Before Gabriella had the chance to reply the waitress appeared to take their orders.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, Gabriella's anger towards Seth preventing her from speaking and Seth's anger for Gabriella and Troy building within him.

"I thought we could take a romantic walk on the beach," Seth spoke firmly as he and Gabriella got into their chauffer driven car after their intense awkward meal.

Gabriella sighed; the only place she wanted to be was snuggled in her bed at home…definitely not walking on a deserted beach with Seth.

"I'm sorry Seth, I'm really tired. Can you just drop me home?" Gabriella yawned as best she could to make her statement more believable, desperate to get away from Seth and get back to her comfortable bed.

The car pulled up outside Gabriella's apartment block and the driver stepped out, opening their door to allow them to exit.

Seth stepped out behind Gabriella, surprising her and he walked close behind her towards the door of her apartment block.

"Seth, I meant drop me home alone…I really don't want you to come in," Gabriella spoke forcefully as she unlocked the main door and began to move in, attempting to close the door behind her and block Seth from entering.

Her attempts failed; Seth quickly moved his foot in the way to prevent the door from closing completely, he pushed it open violently causing Gabriella to fall backwards against the hard marble floor.

Seth violently grabbed Gabriella's arm, yanking her up from the floor and forcing her towards the elevator.

"Seth, let me go! You're hurting me Seth, please just let me go!" Gabriella struggled against Seth's strong grip as the elevator door opened on her floor and the pair made their way towards her apartment. She wished with everything she had that someone would appear…somebody anybody who would alert someone that was in trouble.

But nobody came.

"Open the door," Seth demanded, shoving Gabriella towards her door and watching over her and she shakily turned the key in the lock and opened the apartment door.

Seth pushed Gabriella into the apartment, grabbing hold of her arm once again as he walked inside and dragged her towards the bedroom.

Gabriella's fear began to heighten, tears sprung from her eyes and the pain that was radiating from her wrist became more intense.

She winced as she felt Seth pull his body against hers, groping her breasts and he moved his hands down to her hips. As he reached the end of her dress his fingers began to work their way up the inside, reaching the top of her tights and pulling on them slowly.

"Seth, stop it!" Gabriella pulled all her strength together in order to push Seth away. He wasn't a small man; he had been a boxer during his high school years and continued to play the sport socially throughout his years at college.

Seth's anger began to spill from his body, his fists clenching once again as he lunged towards Gabriella.

"You stupid bitch!" Seth shouted angrily as he swing hid fist, feeling it come into contact with Gabriella's face as she fell to the floor. He looked down at the crumpled girl, her hand rising to her lip and crying harder as she realized she was bleeding.

With rage still seeping through this veins; Seth reached down and pulled Gabriella back up to her feet, shoving her harshly against the wall and stepping forward so his face was just millimeters away from hers.

"It's because of Troy isn't it? You won't sleep with me because you're giving it up to him? That's it isn't it?" Seth shouted angrily, pushing Gabriella back and forwards into the wall to accentuated his words. When she didn't reply he let her go, watching as she sunk down to the floor. "You disgust me," Seth spoke firmly, kicking her in the side so as she fell from a sitting to a laying position on the floor before walking out of her apartment leaving her completely alone.

Gabriella took a deep breath, rubbing tears from her eyes as she stood up slowly to look at herself in the mirror.

Her lip was swollen and bleeding, her cheeks puffy and tearstained, and a large red mark had formed on her cheek.

Slowly, she got out of her clothes and into a comfortable pair of track pants and one of Troy's old t-shirts, wincing as the soft material brushed against her still bleeding lip.

Just as she had managed put a cool cloth on her lip her doorbell rang, causing the fear within Gabriella to return.

Cautiously she approached her door, looking through the peephole to identify just who it was ringing her bell.

She relaxed slightly as she saw Troy standing patiently at her door, only to have fear replaced with apprehension upon realizing she would have to explain why she was in such a state.

Sighing she opened the door, looking down at the floor as Troy came into view.

She heard a gasp, it was only seconds before Troy had bundled her into his arms, shut the door and pulled them down onto the couch.

"What the hell happened to you Gabriella?" Troy asked; pulling Gabriella's body away from his own and observing her injuries, carefully checking to ensure there was nothing serious.

Gabriella's eyes began to well with tears once again, fearing how Troy would react when he realized she had been keeping another secret from him.

"…I fell," Gabriella whispered, hoping desperately that Troy would believe her story, cuddle her and tell her to be more careful in the future.

Troy shook his head, resting his forehead against Gabriella's and looking deep into her eyes.

"Like hell you fell, he did this to you didn't he? Elle, Beautiful, how long has this been going on?" Gabriella scrunched her eyes up tightly as she listened to Troy's words, realizing that she could no longer escape the truth that had been haunting her for the last five months.

She snuggled herself deeper into Troy's protective embrace, relishing in the feeling of being so cared for and loved after being so horribly violated.

"I didn't want you to be angry…so I didn't tell you. I knew that you would go out there and try and find him and I didn't want you to get hurt. This is the worst it's ever been, it's usually only just little bruises in places no one can see…I'm so sorry!" Gabriella's tears began to steam down her cheeks as she revealed everything to Troy.

Troy shook his head; shocked by what he was hearing, he couldn't believe that Gabriella had kept something so serious a secret for so long.

He wrapped his arms tighter around her sobbing body, running his hand up and down her back comfortingly and placed delicate kisses against her head.

"Oh god Gabriella, I'm gonna look after you now I promise. He's never coming near you ever again, you hear me…I'm going to take care of you! God my Ella, what's he done to you." Tears began to collect in Troy's eyes, the thought of the girl he loved suffering in such a way was just too much for him to bear.

He hated that he had been right; he knew that he couldn't trust Seth but he had never imagined that it would go as far as it had. He didn't want to press Gabriella to talk; he knew that now it was all out it the open, she would open up to him when she was ready.

~TG~

It had been two days since Seth's brutal attack on Gabriella and Troy had not once left her side. Despite the fact that it was summer break and the July sun was beating down, neither had left safety of the apartment.

Troy had done nothing but pamper Gabriella for the last two days; cooking dinner, running her hot baths with bubbles, massaging her stiff shoulders, and snuggling in bed with her while she slept safely tucked into his arms.

"Why don't we go and have pizza and watch a movie today?" Troy suggested, hoping to encourage Gabriella out of the apartment and into the summer sunshine.

The pair had been snuggled up in bed all morning, watching reruns of Friends and picking on left over Chinese food from the night before. Gabriella snuggled herself deeper into his chest, not wanting to leave the comfort and warmth of her current position, no matter how sunny it was outside.

"I really don't want to Troy. Seth hasn't even called me in the last two days, the last thing I want is to run into him in the street," Gabriella sighed, hating that the man she thought she was in love with was effectively making her a prisoner in her own home.

She picked up the TV controller, flicking through the movie channels for something to watch.

"We can watch a movie here and order in pizza, please can we just stay here for another day?" Troy couldn't deny Gabriella's request, he had seen her broken once already this week and wasn't about to let that happen again.

Just as Gabriella was about to start the movie they had chosen the phone rang, interrupting their comfortable cocoon of togetherness.

Troy sprung up from the bed, conscious that the person on the other end of the line might be Seth.

"Hello?" He asked, as he picked up the receiver from its stand in the hallway and waited patiently for the caller to identify themselves.

"_Who am I speaking with? This is Natalia Montez; I'd like to speak with my daughter." _The voice of Gabriella's mother filled Troy with relief, while he knew that Natalia often gave Gabriella a hard time he was relieved that he wouldn't have to explain to Gabriella that it was Seth that had called her.

"Natalia, its Troy. I'll just pass you on to Gabriella," Troy made his way back into the bedroom, snuggling himself back into bed and he handed Gabriella the phone and let her know it was her mother.

He pulled Gabriella back into his arms, it pained him to think that before long another man would be holding her like this and that he would never get the chance again, but now was definitely not the right time to share his feelings.

"Hey Mom," Gabriella cheerful voice greeted her mother as she held the phone to her ear, curious as to why her mother was calling her at all.

"_Gabriella, your sister and I are going to the summer house for a couple of weeks this summer and thought that you should join us". _As much as Natalia Montez loved her daughter, she often overlooked Gabriella's plans in order to fulfill her own; this was to be one of those situations.

"Actually Mom, Troy has offered for me to go and spend a couple of weeks down in Albuquerque with his family. He's been desperate to show me around, we thought we would go next month," Gabriella knew that her mother's reaction would be one of distaste, for some reason she had never been too fond of Troy.

Natalia Montez hadn't remarried following her divorce from Giovanni Montez when Gabriella was seven and Gianna was just two. Since the divorce she had always seemed bitter, not once relishing in either daughters happiness and constantly telling Nikolas that his marriage would never work out.

"_You're wasting your time with that boy Gabriella, I know that you're in love with him but he won't ever love you back. Men are just worthless; you should know that by now. All he is doing is distracting you from your studies!" _Gabriella sighed, this was a lecture she had had before but electively chose to ignore every time, she loved her mother more than anything but it frustrated her how pessimistic she could often be.

With a swift 'Bye Mom' and an 'I love you', Gabriella hung up the phone. She wasn't in the mood for one of her mother lectures; all she wanted was to sleep off the headache that was still lingering from two days previously.

Troy had been pestering her to report Seth to the police, but she had made a decision, no matter how many times Troy told her to report it…she wouldn't.

As much as she knew that she shouldn't, she loved Seth and she was sure that deep down he loved her too. She had decided next time she saw him she would suggest that he got some help, some counseling to help him manage his anger, that way she wouldn't have to involve the police and make him even more angry.

She wondered to herself, maybe just maybe things would get better on their own.

**So there you have it, first chapter. I have it pretty much all written, there's nine chapters so I'm thinking one update a week =D I don't want it to be over too quickly haha! I apologize for any spelling mistakes that I missed while proof reading =P Look out for the next update and don't forget to review. **


	2. Helpless

**So here is chapter two! I hope you all enjoy it, it's a bit of a dramatic chapter so be warned that it will contain M rated scenes and as I've warned before because Seth isn't a good guy there will be scenes containing violence!**

~TG~

'_And now you're trying to fix me,_

_Mend what he did,_

_I'll find the part that is missing,'_

-Pixie Lott – Broken Arrow

~TG~

Thunder crashed loudly like angry waves hitting the shore and the lightening lit up the sky. Gabriella had always hated storms, she was never sure why but for as long as she could remember she had been petrified.

She remembered one occasion when she was thirteen, a huge storm had moved in and it hung around for hours. To calm herself down she had sung one million green bottles all the way down to one and had finally managed to fall asleep.

She peeked above the duvet sheepishly, searching for her cell phone that she had left on her nightstand and hoping that she could grab it before another flash of lightening came.

The light from her cell phone illuminated the darkness that surrounded her and she cowered under her duvet. She held down speed dial one, patiently waiting for the call to be answered.

"_Ella? Are you ok?" _Troy's panicked voice sounded on the end of the line, immediately comforting Gabriella as she relaxed down into her pillow.

She shivered slightly, wishing she had kept on the heat before heading to bed.

"Yeah, I'm ok I think. I'm just really scared of the storm," Gabriella peaked above the duvet once more, glancing at her curtains sheepishly to check that they were still pulled firmly across the window.

Troy sighed, pulling on a pair of sweat pants and a sweater before making his way out of his bedroom towards the front door.

"_Hang in there Beautiful, I'm just putting on some shoes and then I'll be there. Stay where you are, I'll use my key," _Gabriella was quietly happy that Troy had decided to come and protect her from the storm; she had no idea what she was supposed to do if the storm carried on all night.

"Troy, you really don't need to do that, this storm is so bad! It's too dangerous for you to come out." Gabriella fought against her heart that was telling her to scream at Troy to come as quickly as he could.

As Troy quickly reassured her that he would be okay and hung up the phone he pulled his hood tightly over his head, sheltering himself from the freezing rain that was beating down from the skies.

It took him less than four minutes to speed through the storm to Gabriella's apartment just three blocks away.

Parking the car haphazardly outside Gabriella's building he rushed quickly towards the door and let himself in, running as fast as his thankfully athletic legs would take him up the stairs and towards her apartment door.

As he entered the dark apartment, flashes of lightening illuminated his path to Gabriella's bedroom.

He pushed opened the door slowly, observing the body in the bed completely covered head to toe and Gabriella's sweet voice humming to drown out the sound of the storm.

Sitting down on the edge of her bed; he gently pulled the covers away from her head, chuckling slightly at just how hot she had got hiding from the world under her thick duvet.

"I'm here now Beautiful, you're safe now." Troy whispered as he pulled off his pants and sweater, pulling the duvet over both of them and snuggling her into his protective grasp.

The moment he had met Gabriella he had vowed to protect her from everything that could do her harm. He felt as if he had failed her, he hadn't protected her enough from Seth's evil grasps but he would make it up to her…he had to make it up to her. If that meant getting no sleep watching her as she slept through a storm, then that's what he would do.

~TG~

Troy winced as he tried desperately to wiggle his fingers, realizing that he had absolutely no sensation whatsoever in his hand. His wince was followed by a frown; he definitely hadn't been sleeping on it.

Then he remembered.

Gabriella.

He opened his eyes slowly, the darkness of the morning signaling that the sun was yet to rise across the now calm Californian skies.

"Ella? Beautiful, you need to wake up. I've got to go to work this morning," Troy whispered into her ear, stealing the opportunity to press a delicate kiss against her temple while she slept.

She began to stir, shuffling to get herself more comfortable before opening her eyes fully and pulling herself closer towards Troy.

"It's so early," she moaned quietly, hating that Troy had to leave so early for work, leaving her alone to spend a day filled with nothingness.

She hadn't seen Seth since the incident; she had been more than thankful for that, she wasn't sure that she was still battling with the hope that he would change and be the loving boyfriend that she desperately wanted.

Troy had been frustrated when Gabriella had admitted she wanted to work things out with Seth. His distrust for the guy had only grown tenfold after seeing what he'd done to Gabriella.

"I know its early Beautiful, but I start work in an hour. Go back to sleep," Troy whispered, rolling out of bed and pulling on his clothes before tucking the duvet around Gabriella's shoulders.

He hated leaving her so early; in fact he hated leaving her at all. The way she had snuggled into his body, the way she had clung onto him for protection, and the way she had sighed as she slowly drifted to sleep had driven him crazy.

It pained him to keep his feelings hidden, to listen as Gabriella spilled her hopes of Seth changing and being the man that she knew she needed.

He wished with everything he had that she would see him as that man. He could give her so much more than Seth ever could, but while she was perusing happiness with Seth; Troy knew that it would be wrong to express his feelings for her.

He savored moments like these, moments where if he closed his eyes and thought really hard he could pretend that everything was the way he dreamed it to be. He could pretend that Gabriella was his girl, and that the love he had for her was finally out in the open.

"Will you come back later? Maybe we could have movie night?" Gabriella asked, drifting in and out of sleep as Troy brushed loose strands of hair from her face that had been tickling her nose.

Troy looked down at her sleepy features; wishing for nothing more than to be able to get back into bed and snuggle with her all day, but the clock was ticking and he had to get to work.

"Of course I will, how about I bring Chinese food?" Troy asked, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she nodded in reply.

With one final glance back at Gabriella, Troy disappeared through the door and began his journey to work.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to leave Gabriella after sharing such intimate moments with her; the only thing that kept him going through the day was knowing he would see her after he finished work.

The next six hours couldn't go fast enough.

~TG~

Gabriella loved waking up with Troy. Rolling over and finding him never failed to make her happy and it lasted all day long.

She was blind to the meaning of her feelings, putting the happiness down to the fact that she and Troy were such good friends that his company alone cheered her up.

She didn't have that with Seth.

She had only spent three nights with him and none of the following mornings had ever felt as good. One began with her wishing she could turn back time and refuse to have sex with him, and the remaining two had been filled with Seth's arrogant rambles about just how great he was.

"L is for the way you look at me, O is for the only one I see, V is very very extra ordinary it's even more than you adore and…" Gabriella's happy singing was interrupted by a harsh knocking on the door.

She looked down at herself and realized that whoever it was wishing to gain entrance to her apartment would just have to wait a little while until she put on some pants.

The one thing that Gabriella loved about living in her own apartment alone was the freedom it allowed her to have. If she so wished to prance around in her panties and a shirt, which is what she had been doing before disturbed, then that's what she would do.

"I'm coming," she called as she rushed towards the door, adjusting her soft grey track pants around her waist to ensure that she looked presentable.

In her haste, Gabriella had neglected to check who was at the door before opening it. This had been a routine she had undertaken since moving out on her own, something she had promised herself she would do in order to be safe.

"Hello Gabriella." Seth's slimy voice filled the air, forcing a harsh tension to build in Gabriella's previously happy and carefree atmosphere.

This had been the first time Gabriella had seen Seth since his vicious attack on her. She had hoped that they would be able to fix things; that he would change back into the man he was when she first met him, but now that he stood at her door with an evil glint in his eyes, she wanted nothing more than for him to disappear and to never return.

"Look Seth, I don't think we should see each other anymore," Gabriella spoke firmly, attempting to close the door and protect herself from the monster that stood in the corridor.

Her efforts were blocked as Seth wedged his strong foot between the door and the frame, preventing Gabriella from closing the door.

She had angered him and now she had to pay.

"This is because of Bolton isn't it?" Seth fumed, pushing hard on the door causing Gabriella to momentarily lose her balance as the door flew open. "I know he stayed here last night, you've been having sex with him haven't you Gabriella?" Seth grabbed hold of Gabriella's shirt and pulled her harshly towards him, bringing his face just nanometers from her as he breathed out heavily.

Gabriella shook, she couldn't believe that Seth was making such a wild accusation and was terrified of what the consequences of his anger would be.

She knew there would be no convincing him; no matter if her words were the truth, the rage in his eyes seemed unstoppable.

"No Seth, I've told you this before he is just my friend! He stayed over because of the storm but nothing happened!" Gabriella struggled to escape from Seth's strong grasp, desperate to make it to the door and escape from the building and into the street where she hoped random strangers would care enough to protect her.

Seth pushed Gabriella firmly, releasing his grip on her shirt and watching her fall harshly to the ground, catching her leg on the coffee table as she fell.

"You lying little bitch," Seth shouted, bending down to grasp her shirt once more and pulling her to her feet.

He had never felt anger like this before. How dare another man touch his girlfriend like that, and how dare she let him.

"I'm not lying Seth, I've told you before. Troy and I are just friends; you can even go and ask him if it would make you feel better!" Gabriella tried desperately to calm Seth, terrified that something terrible would happen if he continued down his current path.

Seth let out a low growl, feeling his anger increasing from deep within him like he never thought possible. He had come to the apartment with the intention of sorting Gabriella out, but now he was on a mission and there would be no stopping him.

"You know what would make me feel better? For you to shut your fucking mouth!" He raised his fist and swung it harshly, ignoring the pain he felt as it came into contact with Gabriella's jaw once again sending her flying to the floor.

Gabriella groaned as pain seared through her body, wincing as she felt blood drip down her cheek but too desperate to find escape to uncover just where it was coming from.

She scrambled to her feet, focusing her eyes on the door and the quickest possible way to get there. She used all the strength in her body to push past Seth and run towards the door, she knew that he would be faster than her but she figured if she got out of the apartment and into a public area there might be someone who could help her.

Seth watched on angered as she escaped through the door and began to run down the corridor towards the stairs, there was no way he could allow her to get away with this.

No girl cheated on Seth Keres and got away with it.

"I suggest you stop moving right now," Seth roared as he ran up behind Gabriella, grabbing her shirt and halting her steps.

Just a few more steps and she would have been running down the stairs…just a few more steps and she could have been free.

Gabriella's breathing increased dramatically as she came to the realization that now Seth had caught her it really was all over.

"Seth, please, just let me go and maybe we can talk." Gabriella pleaded; wishing and praying with everything that she had that Seth would let her go so that they could talk out their problems in a neutral safe environment.

But she knew her prayers wouldn't be answered. She had seen enough of Seth to know that he would never give up.

She closed her eyes and braced herself for impact.

"Talk? Talk? You crazy bitch, the last thing I want to do is talk to you! I don't even want to look at you, you disgust me! Sleeping with Troy and refusing to sleep with me, you've really done it now." Seth spoke calmly now, he pulled Gabriella's body closer to his own and took a step forwards forcing Gabriella's body to lean dangerously over the stairs.

This was it…Gabriella knew it.

She squeezed her eyes tightly together; forcing back fresh tears as she thought of all of the things she would be missing out on in life, all of the people she would leave behind if this turned out how she pictured it too.

"You've really done it now!" Seth repeated one final time before throwing Gabriella's tiny body down the long flight of stairs, watching proudly as she bounced from step to step and finally coming to a stop on the stone landing.

He walked down calmly and stood over her motionless body, taking note that she was still breathing shallowly and that blood was pouring from the back of her head.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.

He felt no remorse…no guilt, he truly believed that Gabriella had deserved everything she had received, the only reason he had called for help was to cover his back should anybody come knocking on his door for information.

He calmly asked for an ambulance and told them the location, but he didn't hang around. He kicked Gabriella's lifeless body one final time, before continuing on down the rest of the stairs and exiting the building onto the busy street below.

~TG~

Troy Bolton was fed up of work; it wasn't even like he was doing something he enjoyed. When he moved to California he had made us of his sailing skills by taking up a job with a local tour company who ran ocean fishing expeditions.

He hated sailing the speed boat, he didn't feel like it was real sailing but it paid well and looked good on his resume. The only reason he kept going was the knowledge that as soon as he graduated, he would be able to start doing a job that he loved.

Just he had docked the boat into San Francisco bay and seen that all the passengers had disembarked, his cell phone began ringing loudly from the pocket of his pants.

"Hello?" he answered swiftly, wondering who was calling him from a number that he didn't recognize.

"_Hello, am I speaking with Troy Bolton?" _ The sweet female voice on the end of the line enquired gently, Troy's frown only grew deeper as he wondered who on earth was calling.

"Uh, yes speaking," he replied, anxious to know who this person was and what they wanted from him.

"_I'm really sorry to bother you Troy, but we weren't sure who else to call. My name is Alexa and I'm a nurse in the emergency room at SFGH. I'm afraid there's been an accident and you are listed as a contact for a Gabriella Montez and you're the only one that is really close by. It's vital that you come as soon as possible." _Troy absorbed the nurse's words, trying to make sense of the situation he had been presented with but failing miserably.

His life had come to a standstill.

There had been an accident, his Gabriella had been hurt in an accident and he had no idea if she was okay.

He didn't give the nurse on the end of the line an answer. He leapt from the boat as quickly as possible, not caring that it wasn't fully packed away and only focusing on the quickest way to reach the hospital.

It took him just four minutes to get to the hospital, he thanked god for the lack of traffic and consistent green lights.

He burst through the doors, desperate to find someone who could take him to Gabriella. As he approached the reception desk he was greeted by a kind looking lady from behind the desk.

"How can I help you young man?" she asked, ready to type in the name of the person that he was looking for to ensure that they could be found quickly, it was clear to her that this young man was in a hurry.

"Gabriella Montez. Somebody called me to tell me she was here; please I need to see her." Troy began to get desperate; as every second ticked by he became more and more anxious to find his Gabriella.

Just as the receptionist was about to inform him of Gabriella whereabouts, a young nurse approached the desk.

"Are you Troy?" she asked, watching as Troy nodded quickly. "Come with me, Gabriella is just through here." She spoke calmly, taking hold of Troy's arms and leading him through two large restricted access doors and into a large room filled with machines.

Troy broke down as he saw Gabriella's lifeless body laying in the large hospital bed, attached up various machines.

"What happened?" He asked hoping that someone could shed some light as to just how she had managed to get in such a mess when he had left her just find only hours previously.

He approached her bed and resting his forehead against hers, brushing a kiss to the bridge of her nose and whispering that it would all be ok.

"We don't know what happened but we are sure that she was attacked. She had fresh visible facial bruising and some on her arms along with a nasty gash to her leg. We think that she was pushed down the stairs." Troy's heart broke; he knew who had done this to her, he knew without a shadow of a doubt but now was not the time for let his anger take hold.

He had to be there for her.

"Is she going to be ok? Why isn't she awake? Is she breathing on her own?" Troy asked frantically, needing to know every little detail so that he could somehow formulate a plan in his mind of how he was going to fix this.

He had to fix this.

"We are expecting her to make a slow but good recovery at this point. She has suffered a head injury and scans reveal she has a cerebral contusion, which is a little like a bruise you would get on your skin except it is on the brain. We have sedated her in order to give her brain time to rest and allow the swelling to go down, at the moment she isn't breathing for herself because she is heavily sedated but that will change as her condition improves. She's a normally healthy young woman Troy; we are expecting her to do really well. We will be moving her up to the Intensive Care Unit shortly." Alexa reassured Troy as best she could, offering him up all the information she had to ensure that he was fully informed on Gabriella's situation.

She could see how much he cared about her, she wasn't sure what their relationship was but it was as clear as day that Troy loved Gabriella.

"Hey Beautiful, what's he done to you? I'm going to sit here right next to you until you wake up; I promise you that you won't be alone…not ever!" Troy whispered against Gabriella's bruised bloodstained skin, neither knowing nor caring whether she could actually hear him or not.

Hours passed and Troy had remained true to his word, the only time that he had left her side was when she had been taken by the nurses for some more tests.

Thousands of thoughts were running through his mind; he had no idea where he was supposed to go next, what was he supposed to do?

He held her hand tightly, occasionally pressing kisses to the soft skin of her fingers and palm. He couldn't believe they had ended up here, he was angry with himself that he hadn't protected her enough.

He looked up at the clock; it had been a long day and the hands on the large white clock only read 4 o'clock.

Nurses had been in and our throughout the day, informing Troy that Gabriella was stable and continued to do well despite her deathly appearance.

"I'll be back in a while Beautiful, I'm just going to make a couple of calls. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can." Troy pressed a kiss to her forehead, resting his against hers for a couple of seconds as he built up the strength to leave her alone.

He wondered into the corridor, smiling sympathetically at other families there were mingling around the area, taking breaks for the harsh reality that faced them through the doors to the main unit.

Troy flicked through the numbers in his cell phone, not entirely sure who he was supposed to be calling but hoping that his selected choice was the right one.

"_Hello, University of California student advice center, how may I help you?" _ A sweet comforting voice answered the phone, reassuring Troy that his probing question would be easily answered.

He suddenly realized he wasn't sure what he was supposed to ask, he knew the outcome that he desired but he had no idea if it was even possible.

"Hi, my name is Troy Bolton and I'm a Ocean Sciences major. My um…my…girlfriend…was attacked today and she's in Intensive care, it's going to take her a really long time to recover and I was wondering whether, seeing as the academic year hasn't officially started yet, whether I would be able to defer for a year and return next fall with the group under me?" Troy asked, unsure as to how the lady would reply to his mismatched rambles.

All he knew was that he needed to be there for Gabriella, he needed to stand by her every second of the day to ensure that she was okay.

"_I'm sorry about your girlfriend Troy; I really hope that she's ok. Listen, why don't I make a few phone calls for you and give you a ring back when I have a definitive answer? I will give your professor a call also and inform him of your situation." _Troy smiled; relieved that there was something that could be done to ensure that he could keep his word to Gabriella.

He didn't care how many forms he would have to fill in and how frustrating it would be that he would graduate a year later, all he cared about was that he could be there for Gabriella every step of the way.

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. I'll look forward to your call." Troy spoke politely, allowing the lady on the end of the line to say her goodbyes before hanging up and once again searching through his phonebook for ideas.

This call would be much more difficult…he didn't even know who he was supposed to call.

Having searched an online telephone directory for the number he was supposed to be calling; he finally found it and typed it into his cell, waiting patiently as it rang.

"_Stanford University student services." _This time a male voice answered the phone, once again Troy was struck with an overwhelming feeling of confusion.

What was he supposed to tell them?

"My name is Troy Bolton, I'm not a student but I'm calling on behalf of Gabriella Montez. There's been an accident and she's in intensive care. I was wondering if whether it would be possible, given that the academic year is yet to begin, for her to defer this year until next fall?" Troy asked politely, reciting what he had explained to his own school in order to make sure his rambles were coherent enough for the man on the end of the line to understand.

Troy felt numb, he no longer had any control of how he was feeling and he wasn't even sure what he was feeling.

He just wanted this nightmare to be over.

"_Wow I hope she's okay man. That shouldn't be a problem, I'll need a medical form because she isn't choosing to defer for personal reasons and I will fill in all of the paperwork for you. We will send a letter in the mail informing you of next year's start date. I hope she gets better real soon." _The male spoke soothingly, assuring Troy that everything would be sorted the way he had hoped.

Troy was relieved that both he and Gabriella would be able to defer. He knew it shouldn't be a problem, he had known several students that had begun their studies and decided to take a year or two out before continuing just because they felt that studying at that time just wasn't right for them.

To have it for the most part confirmed reassured him that once Gabriella woke up, life would slowly begin to fall back into place.

Troy walked back into the unit, settling himself once again in Gabriella room and grasping hold of her had tightly.

The machines had stopped fazing him, when they had first arrived he had been terrified of them and the sense of unknown that seemed to surround all of the patients that lay motionless in their beds.

"You're so beautiful you know that?" Troy whispered, brushing a thumb against Gabriella's bruised cheek as he took in her appearance. "You're fast asleep, attached up to all of these machines but you're still the most beautiful girl in the world." He whispered again, hoping with everything he had that she could hear him, hoping that his words would help her to heal.

Had had to be there for her.

He needed to fix this.

She had to be okay.

**Yay for chapter two being complete! I'm really enjoying writing this and I hope that your enjoying reading it. I know this chapter was pretty heavy with Seth and what have you but he will begin to feature less and less from now on and the focus will be much more on Troy and Gabriella so there will be much more love!**


	3. Fidelity Of The Faithful

**So here is chapter three, not sure there is anything to say about this one really! Enjoy it!**

~TG~

'_Waiting by my window_

_Giving me all your time'_

_-_Pixie Lott – Broken Arrow

~TG~

Night had turned to day and Troy had remained sitting at Gabriella's side. He had only left the room to use the bathroom; he had thought about eating but was sure that if he did he would bring it all back up again.

Troy knew that there would be no visible progress in Gabriella's condition for at least the next two days, but he was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the doctors to update him on how she was doing.

He had had a long conversation with Gabriella's mother, Natalia. He had only met her mother on two occasions, and throughout both he wondered how on earth Gabriella had lived under the same roof as her for so long.

She had been frustrated that Gabriella had chosen to attend college away from their family home in upstate New York. Gabriella's attack had only fueled her opinions that California was the wrong place for Gabriella to be.

She had pressed him to tell her what had been happening in Gabriella's life for the last two months. She informed him that Gabriella had hardly spoken to her and she was desperate to know exactly how she had been spending her time.

Troy had refused; he knew that Gabriella kept her life guarded, he knew that she had solid reason why she had not shared parts of her life with her mother and he wasn't about to break her trust.

Natalia would arrive later in the day, she had told Troy she had booked a plane ticket on the first possible flight out of New York and would come straight to the hospital when she arrived in California.

A soft knock at the door disturbed Troy from his thoughts; he looked up at the door but refused to move, his hand still firmly gripping Gabriella's.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Troy, but the police are here and they would like to talk to you." A young nurse poked her head around the door, smiling sadly at Troy as he rested his head against Gabriella's bed.

He knew they would be around sooner or later, he just hoped that they listened to him and not let their own opinions get in the way.

He knew what they would think.

"The police are here Beautiful, they want to talk to me for a little while. I'll be back before you even know that I'm gone." Troy pressed a delicate kiss to her forehead, reluctantly letting go of her hand and placing it gently by her side.

He walked out of the room slowly, crossing the large unit and following the two police officers into a quiet room usually used for meetings between relatives and doctors.

"Hello Troy, my name is Detective Nikos and this is Detective Yun, we just have a couple of questions to ask you if that's ok?" The older male detective asked, pulling out a notepad and pen from his jacket before flipping it open.

Troy took a deep breath, he knew that he didn't have a choice but to answer their questions, he just wished that they would make it quick to that he could get back to Gabriella.

He nodded slowly, taking a couple of seconds to collect himself. The last thing he needed was to get angry and find himself in jail, that wouldn't help anybody.

"Where were you at approximately twelve pm yesterday?" Office Nikos asked, immediately implying that he believed Troy to be Gabriella's attacker.

Troy groaned and rubbed his temples, knowing within him that the detectives were just going through the motions of their jobs but desperately hoping they would soon leave him alone.

"I was at work; I sail a tourist excursion boat in the bay. Look man, I know that you have to do this but you're barking up the wrong tree here. Gabriella is my whole life and I hate myself for not telling her that sooner. The guy you need to talk to is Seth Keres, they have been dating for a little while and she told me the other day that he's been hitting her. I got to her apartment and she was bruised and bleeding, I swore I'd never let him hurt her again and I've let her down. He's the guy that you're looking for…I'm sure of it." Troy spoke firmly, hoping that the detectives in front of him would understand how guilty he felt and how desperate he was for them to speak to Seth.

Detective Nikos closed his notebook and looked at the young man in front of him. For some reason, he knew that he was telling the truth, the drawn and tired look in his eyes told him how much he cared for the girl whose case he was investigating.

"I hear you son, we'll definitely speak to him. You know that I have to check you out though right? It's no reflection on you but I will need to check with your employer that you were definitely at work. Listen, get back to Gabriella, I know that your desperate to." Troy smiled at the detectives and nodded his head, he respected that they had a job to do and was relieved that they would speak with Seth.

He shook their hands respectfully, walking them to the door of the unit before turning and making his way back to Gabriella's room.

"I'm back Sweetheart; I told you I would be. The police are going to speak to Seth, he did this to you didn't he. You have to be okay Gabriella, I don't know what I would do without you, I can't imagine going through my life without you there." Troy whispered against her skin, hoping that she could hear him and that she could process his words enough to understand.

He had no idea what would happen when she woke up, he hope that everything would be the same but the doctors had warned him that there was a slim chance that she would be brain damaged.

Nobody was sure how severe that damage may be. It could be minor, expressed as temporary loss of memories or it could be severe with almost complete loss of bodily control.

He couldn't bear to think of her that way. A tiny part of him hoped that whoever it was up in the sky that made life and death decisions, would be wise enough to prevent her from living a life where she couldn't completely function.

He knew how unhappy she would be, Gabriella had always been active and the thought of her forever being trapped in a body that didn't work broke him. He wished that if that was the case, the all powerful decision maker would be kind enough to put her out of that misery.

But he begged that it wouldn't come to that, the idea of being without her was too hard to comprehend.

"I really need to tell you something; I don't know if you can hear me, but I hate that I haven't told you this sooner." Troy took a nervous breath as he spoke, squeezing her hand gently before continuing. "I really can't find the words to explain this to you, so I'm just going to get right to it…I love you Gabriella. I've loved you from the very second that I met you, and I'm so thankful that you let me into your life and I don't ever want to lose you." Troy paused; resting his head against her hip as she slept, hoping with everything that he had that she would soon be awake and able to talk to him.

He was sure if he wanted to know if she could hear him, the idea that she was listening to him confess his love for her was more of a limitation than a motivation.

"You know, it's ok if you don't feel the same because I would never want you to do something that made you unhappy. You're never going to lose me and if that means we just stay friends forever, then that's what it will be, so don't worry yourself…just get better so that you can wake up and come back to us." Troy rested his face against hers, relieved that the nurses had taken the time to wash the dried blood from her face and hair.

She looked beautiful.

Even attached to machines; covered in tubes and swollen around the face, Troy couldn't think of anyone who would be more beautiful.

~TG~

Three hours had passed and Troy had fallen fast asleep, resting his head against Gabriella's bed and snoring lightly.

He hadn't slept much the previous night, he had been too afraid that if he closed his eyes he would miss something.

The sound of the door opening woke Troy from his blissful sleep.

"Hello Troy," the tall Hispanic woman asked as she approached the bed, taking in the scene before her without even blinking. "Nice to see you again." She spoke in a businesslike tone, shaking Troy's hand and she moved around Gabriella's bed to get to a free chair.

As the door opened again it revealed a younger timid looking girl. She looked scared; fearful of what she would find when she finally entered the room.

"Hey Troy," She spoke quietly, taking small steps as she entered the room and slowly looked up at everybody else in the room.

He had met Gianna Montez before, she had come to stay with Gabriella during spring break last year and he had taken them both for ice cream.

"Hey G," Troy whispered Gianna's nickname as he opened up his arms to her, allowing her to settle into his comforting embrace.

Gabriella and Gianna had never been very close; the four and a half years between them meant that they shared little common interests, but the love they shared for each other had never faltered.

"Is she going to be okay?" Gianna whispered, tightening her arms around Troy's waist and fighting back the tears that were pooling in her eyes.

Troy had never noticed before how much Gianna looked like Gabriella. They had the same long chocolaty brown hair, the same big round eyes, and the same tanned complexion. Gianna's features were slightly rounder than Gabriella's, her childhood looks still with her as she made her way through her teenage years.

"She's going to be more than okay, I just know it." Troy whispered back, hoping that his words of faith would give Gianna some hope that her sister would pull through.

Natalia Montez watched the exchange with skeptical eyes; she had always known Gabriella's move to California was a bad idea, but she valued her daughter's happiness and California was where she had wanted to be.

"Well, I hope your right Troy." Natalia spoke, looking down at her daughter's bruised face and brushing her thumb against her forehead. "Hey Mija, look at you! It's going to be alright now sweetheart, mommy is here." Natalia kissed her daughters forehead before walking out of the room wordlessly, seeking out a doctor that would be able to answer her questions.

Natalia had been just as Gabriella had described her, she had never been one to share her emotions with the outside world and she had always put across a stony faced front.

"Is your brother going to come?" Troy asked Gianna, wondering whether the brother Gabriella looked up to and adored would be able to take the time off work to be with her.

Nikolas and Gabriella were like two peas in a pod, despite the three years between them they had always been like the best of friends.

It had broken Gabriella's heart when Nikolas had moved with his girlfriend to her hometown of Highland, Indiana but he had promised to come and visit her in sunny California as often as possible.

"He can't, mom called him last night and he really wants to come but he's tied up with work. He's going to see if he can come next week though," Gianna smiled, glad that her sister had someone like Troy to look after her while she was so far away from home.

Gianna had always hoped that Troy and Gabriella would get together; she had been saddened when she heard Gabriella talking about Seth, but from the scene that greeted her as she had entered the room she was sure that at some point Gabriella would open her eyes to what was right in front of her.

Natalia Montez returned to the room with a much more relaxed look on her face as she sat beside her daughter's bed.

"They told me she's doing really well, the swelling has already started to go down nicely and they are really hopeful for her being taken off the sedation in a couple of days." Troy smiled at Natalia's words; feeling reassured that Gabriella was improving as she lay lifeless in the bed.

Troy sighed; he had never realized that Gabriella was often the center of the room and without her nobody was really sure to say to each other.

"Why don't you head home for a while Troy? We're here now and you look like you could do with some sleep and a shower." Natalia asked pleasantly, looking at the mess of a man that was sitting opposite her.

Troy knew she was right, he hadn't showered since the previous morning and he was sure he had only had three hours of sleep in total.

"I really don't want to leave her," Troy replied, grasping tighter onto Gabriella's hand as he thought of how he would cope without knowing what was happened every second of the time she was sedated and unable to breathe for herself.

Natalia sighed; she appreciated how much this young man cared for her daughter but she knew that Gabriella wouldn't want him to get sick.

He needed to go home for a break.

"Go home Troy, we will call you the second anything changes but you know that that's unlikely. She will still be here in a couple of hours after you have gone home, showered and had some decent sleep." Troy looked up at Natalia and over to Gabriella, she hated the thought of leaving her but he knew that he needed a break.

He sighed heavily, getting up from his chair and brushing his nose against Gabriella's cheek.

"I'm going to head home for a little while Beautiful, but I promise you I'll be back. I'm going for a shower and a shave but I promise you I won't be long." Troy whispered against her skin, taking in her beauty for a couple of second before tearing himself away from her and moving towards the door.

He shared hesitant goodbyes with Natalia and Gianna, before reluctantly stepping out of the room and making his way towards home.

~TG~

Troy wondered into his apartment, frowning as he remembered the mess it had been left in two nights previously as he'd dashed to comfort Gabriella through the storm.

He picked up the mail and flicked through it quickly; stopping as he spotted a letter from the university that had been posted the previous evening.

He ripped it open with anticipation, eager to know if it was notification of whether he would be allowed to put his studies on hold to care for Gabriella until she had recovered.

'_Dear Troy Bolton,_

_We are pleased to inform you that we have accepted your application to defer your final year studies until September 2011. _

_Your passwords and access cards will remain functional through your deferral period and you are welcome to contact us if you require any further support. _

_We wish you and your girlfriend the best and hope she recovers soon._

_Regards_

_Francis Lopez – Head of student services University of California Berkeley.'_

Troy smiled as relief washed over him, he would be able to care for her full time and give her all the attention she needed for however long it took her to recover. He chucked to himself, wondering what Gabriella would have thought of him telling school they were together. He hadn't even faltered when he had read it, that's what he had told them and deep down inside him that's what he desperately wanted.

He moved through the apartment, not caring about the mess on the floor and the fact that the curtains had been drawn for two whole days. He flicked the play button on his answering machine, listening to it play back ten messages from friends who had heard about Gabriella's attack.

He made a mental note to send them all a text with her progress, not having the energy to phone them all back individually and explain the story countless times over.

He continued his journey through the apartment and took a long relaxing shower. It felt good to wash away the smells of work and the hospital that had attached themselves to his clothes gradually throughout the previous day.

As he pulled on a fresh pair of boxers, sweat pants and a shirt he settled himself down on his bed. Leaning back against the pillows and closing his eyes, desperate for sleep to overcome him…even if just for a few minutes.

But he couldn't fight his thoughts.

Images of Gabriella shot through his mind, what if scenarios that had plagued him moved to the front of his mind and forced him into wakefulness.

He sighed; he tried so hard to fight his thoughts, he knew that he wouldn't be any good to anybody let alone Gabriella if he was half dead from exhaustion.

It was no use; he had to be with her, he just needed to be at her side.

He grabbed his car keys from the counter, once again making his way out of the apartment before even attempting to tidy the place up.

This journey to the hospital was far more relaxed than the last; despite all of his anxieties he knew that Gabriella was safe.

As he entered Gabriella's hospital room he smiled. In the two hours since he had left, Gianna along with the help of a couple of nurses, had washed and dressed Gabriella in her own loose night gown. Gianna had French braided Gabriella's thick curly hair and had applied light make up to her bruised face.

Some would think it was too much, but to Gabriella her appearance had always been important. She hated feeling or looking untidy and loathed not being presentable to others.

Troy knew she would be happy right now; he was amazed that Gianna and the nurses looking after Gabriella had taken the time to take Gabriella's wishes into consideration.

"Look at you Beautiful, you look incredible!" Troy whispered as he pressed a light kiss to Gabriella's forehead, informing her that he was back and wouldn't be leaving her side ever again.

Troy had greeted Natalia and Gianna as he entered the room, but his soul focus was Gabriella and as he looked at her the whole outside world disappeared.

"Look Troy, Gianna and I cannot stay until Gabriella has fully recovered. As I am sure you are aware, I have to work and Gianna has school. We will stay until tomorrow evening and then we must leave." Troy nodded, he had hoped that Natalia would put her work on hold for her daughter but he should have known better.

Natalia Montez owned a very successful real estate company. She had office throughout New York State; as well as offices in Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maryland and Delaware. She had always been a busy woman who had put her successes and the forefront of her life, but Troy had hoped that the vision of her daughter broken in hospital would have corrected her priorities.

He knew that it pained Gabriella to leave Gianna in New York once she had graduated High School, but she had always dreamed of Stanford and there was no way she could allow her mother to ruin that for her too. She had hoped that once Gianna graduated in two years, that she too would make the move to California and become free of the trials of their mother.

She loved her a lot, Troy knew that, but that didn't change the fact that she wished her mother had been around more.

Nikolas, Gabriella and Gianna had all been educated in an expensive New York private school. Receiving the best education possible with the least communication between parents and school as possible.

"I understand; I won't be leaving her so she won't be alone, you don't need to worry about that." Troy tightened his hand around Gabriella's protectively, silently communicating to her that he would always be there for her no matter what.

Gianna Montez looked down at the floor; she wanted nothing more than to be able to stay with her sister and see her finally wake up, but she knew that what her mother said was always final.

"You will call as soon as something changes won't you? And when she's awake you'll tell her we were here and you'll call so I can talk to her right?" Gianna asked bravely, ignoring her mother's stern looks and focusing her attention on Troy.

He released Gabriella's hand from his and moved to wrap his arms tightly around the younger Montez.

From that moment he realized that he would do anything to protect the small girl in his arms, she was Gabriella's flesh and blood and that meant he had to take care of her just like he would Gabriella.

"You'll be the first to know, I promise. As soon as she able to talk, I'll call so that you can talk to her. She'll know you have been here, I promise you that!" Troy reassured the girl, rubbing her back soothingly as she rested her head against his shoulder.

Natalia looked on at the scene, wondering why Troy would so thoughtfully comfort a girl that he hardly knew…maybe he wasn't so bad for Gabriella after all.

"Why don't we all go and get some dinner? Just here in the hospital, I know that you don't want to be too far away Troy. I'd like to thank you for everything you have done for Gabriella," Natalia asked gently, hoping that Troy would take up her offer.

As she had watched the previous scene unfolding in front of her eyes she had realized she would like to get to know Troy a little better. She hoped that when she did, she would see what Gabriella saw, and maybe she would be able to convince Gabriella that Troy was the right guy for her.

She was shocked by her compassion, it wasn't something she had felt since the death of her eldest son…maybe that would be something else she would have Troy to thank for later on.

Troy looked up at Gabriella; he knew that if she were awake she would be forcing him to go, but he just hated to leave her side.

"Alright, she would want me to get some decent food in me. I'd love to have dinner with you guys," Troy smiled up at Natalia and Gianna, observing a change in Natalia that he hoped was for the good.

Maybe, just maybe his hopes and wishes had been granted.

~TG~

"Tell me about yourself Troy," Natalia asked, encouraging Troy to open up about himself as they ate their dinner in the hospital cafeteria.

Troy had never enjoyed talking about himself; he had always felt conceited and rude.

"I study Ocean Sciences at UC Berkeley and I really hope to become a Marine Biologist eventually, I love the ocean. I took Gabriella out on my boat once; I don't think she shares the same love of the ocean." Troy remembered fondly, smiling as the memories filled his mind.

He had taken Gabriella out on his boat, wanting her to see a school of dolphins who had taken up residents in the area. While she had loved seeing the dolphins, touching them lightly as they swam close to the boat, she had become very sea sick in the waves on the small unstable boat. Needless to say, she had not been out with Troy on the boat since.

Natalia looked on at Troy, noting his smile and the glint in his eyes as he thought of Gabriella.

"She's lucky to have someone like you around Troy. I'm lucky that I know my daughter has somebody around that will take care of her, not every mother can say that," Natalia placed her hand against Troy's shoulder, squeezing it gently and smiling warmly.

She was sure that, at some point in the not so distant future, she would have more than a few reasons to be thankful for Troy.

**So chapter three done! I hope your enjoyed it, I'm sorry that nothing much happened and that it was just a bit of a filler but sometimes you need those! Look out for the next one soon!**


	4. Hope For The Future

**Welcome to chapter four! I know it's not Tuesday but I just couldn't resist! Once again not a lot to say except enjoy!**

~TG~

'_And you're sitting in the front row_

_Wonna be first in line'_

-Pixie Lott – Broken Arrow

~TG~

As the sun shone through Gabriella's window, Troy once again found himself awaking with his head resting against Gabriella's bed.

His neck and back had begun to get stiff and sore; the two nights sleeping in a chair next to Gabriella bed were beginning to take their toll.

From what he could see, the nurses had already been in to move Gabriella and freshen her up before the doctors made their way around. He was surprised that they had managed not to disturb Troy, but he suspected they were so used to moving around sleeping patients that moving soundlessly around Troy was no task.

"Morning Troy," the young Doctor Chia-Chan walked into Gabriella's room, holding his clipboard tight to his chest.

Michael Chia-Chan had been Gabriella's doctor since she had arrived in the intensive care unit. He was a resident who had completed his medical studies in his home country of Singapore before moving to America to make a better life.

"Hey Mike, how is she doing this morning?" Troy asked, hoping that there would be some news as to when Gabriella may be able to return to the land of the living.

Troy hated not being in control, he hated that the fate of the girl he loved was hanging completely in the balance and there was nothing he could do to change it.

"She's doing really well Troy, you should be really proud of her. The scan she had yesterday shows that her swelling has dropped significantly, we're starting to make plans for waking her up tomorrow." Mike smiled as he relayed the news to Troy, he couldn't think of anything better than delivering good news.

Troy squeezed Gabriella's hand tightly, smiling up at her proudly before brushing a stray strand of hair from her eyes.

"You hear that Beautiful, you're doing so well that you might even get to wake up tomorrow. I'm so proud of you!" Troy gushed, his beautiful Gabriella would soon be wide awake and he would finally be able to talk to her properly.

He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this happy, the last two days had been filled with stress and uncertainty but it was finally starting to look up.

He pulled out his phone quickly, searching for Gianna in his contacts and quickly typing out a message.

'_Gabriella is going to be fine! Doctors are expecting to wake her up tomorrow; as soon as she can talk we will call you!'_

Mike quickly wrote in Gabriella's notes and made clear that she was improving and tomorrow they would take her off the sedation and let her breath on her own.

"I'll leave you two to it," Mike spoke happily, relishing in the knowledge he had been able to deliver fantastic news.

It wasn't often that patients came through the door of the Intensive Care Unit and left in the same state. Sure; Gabriella would need a lot of help in the oncoming months but she would, before long, make a complete recovery.

Troy hated leaving Gabriella, but nobody had been to her apartment in two days and he was sure that there would be mail and messages that needed picking up and food that need to be thrown away.

"Listen beautiful, I'm going to head to you apartment for a little while but I'll be back before you know I'm even gone." Troy pressed a kiss to Gabriella's forehead, noticing that the bruising was coming out but thankfully the swelling was going down.

He kissed her forehead once again before making his way towards the car and heading for Gabriella's apartment.

Once he arrived he made his way up the stairs, shuddering as he passed the spot where Gabriella had fallen that had thankfully been cleaned up by the crime scene investigation team.

As he pushed open the door he noticed the coffee table on its side and several broken items that had fallen onto the floor. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting but he had hoped that nothing had been broken and he could arrange it to make it seem like nothing had ever happened.

He picked up the mail and studied it carefully, wondering if there was any mail that he should open but nervous to because it wasn't his own.

His eyes rested on a letter from Stanford dated the previous day, Troy was sure this would be a letter he could open.

_Dear Gabriella Montez_

_We would like to inform you that, in light of current events, we have deferred your final year of studies until September 2011. _

_If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us. _

_We wish you all the best for your recovery._

_Regards_

_Suzanna Talford – Head of Student Services, Stanford University. _

Troy smiled; he knew they would never have a problem with Gabriella deferring seeing as her situation meant it was physically impossible for her to attend school.

Having it confirmed in writing just made it more official in his mind, Gabriella would have a whole year to recover and he would be with her every step of the way.

~TG~

Troy made his way back into Gabriella hospital room and noticed Natalia sitting by her side alone. Gianna had returned to New York that morning in order to begin school and Natalia had stayed on until the evening when she too would catch a flight home.

"Hello Troy," Natalia smiled, moving her seat down the bed so that Troy could sit closest to Gabriella head and take her hand.

Troy was beginning to feel much more comfortable with Natalia, the conversation that had had at dinner the night before had eased the tension that seemed to exist between them.

"Hey Natalia; the doctors said she's doing really well, they're going to try and wake her up tomorrow." Troy relayed what Mike had told him earlier on, still so relieved that Gabriella was doing so well.

Natalia sighed; she too was very happy that Gabriella was making improvements but her post hospital care was playing on her mind.

"Listen Troy, it's evident that you love my daughter but I really feel that once she is out of hospital that she should move back with me to New York for a little while." Troy was shocked at Natalia's words, he couldn't believe that she was suggesting Gabriella make a move across the whole country for her recovery.

He was well aware that Natalia hadn't been too keen on Gabriella coming to California for college. She had told him numerous times that she had tried and tried to convince her to stay in New York.

"With all due respect Natalia, Gabriella doesn't want to be in New York. I have taken a year off school to take care of her and I intend to do that. You're right, I love her and I'm going to do everything I can do prove that to her, starting with keeping her here in California. If she chooses to go back to New York then that's her decision, but I'm not making that for her and neither are you." Troy was shocked at his firm words, the last thing he wanted to do was to disrespect Gabriella's mother but he felt that he had said what needed to be said.

Natalia looked sternly at Troy; she too shocked by his words but also moved. She had never spent much time with any of Gabriella's boyfriends so she had nothing to compare Troy too, but she had to admit that he would be the perfect man for Gabriella should she decide that is what she wanted.

"Fair enough; if Gabriella decides that this is where she wants to be…with you, then that's what shall happen." Troy was relieved that Natalia had accepted his words, he was realizing that she was quickly warming too him enough to trust him.

Their discussion was disturbed by a nurse walking into the room quietly.

"Sorry to bother you, we have just come to move Gabriella around a little and also to reduce her sedation. It won't be completely switched off until tomorrow but we would like to see if she can take any breaths for herself over the help being given to her by the ventilator." This made Troy even happier, he couldn't believe how well Gabriella was doing.

He never knew that that was possible, for the nurses to change the settings and Gabriella would be able to take a couple of breaths a minute and have the ventilator do the rest.

"I never knew you could do that, it won't like cut out on her will it? If she takes a couple of breaths, the ventilator will still be there for the rest?" Troy asked, making sure that Gabriella would remain fully supported as they began to slowly wake her from her sleep.

The nurse smiled, she loved relatives like Troy that paid attention to their loved ones care and were interested in how all of the technology worked.

"She will be fully supported the whole time. The ventilator will breathe for her seventeen times a minute, if she chooses to add to that with her own breaths that's fine and if she doesn't that's also fine." The nurse settled Troy's worries, allowing him to relax in the knowledge that there would be no possibility of her not being able to breathe.

Natalia smiled once again, she had never seen a man so protective and so loving of a girl he wasn't in a relationship with. Despite the fact that Troy's feelings were somewhat in the open, Gabriella's still remained locked away and Natalia hoped that Gabriella would soon too reveal any feelings that she had for Troy.

"What does it mean if she doesn't take any of her own breaths?" Troy asked, he hated to seem annoying with all of the questions he was asking but he needed to know, and he was sure that if he didn't know it would just play on his mind constantly.

The nurse glanced at Gabriella's chart quickly, taking note of any statistics that would help her to answer Troy's question.

"At the moment, there really isn't anything stopping her from taking a few breaths alone. If she doesn't, we can almost surely put it down to her levels of sedation. Her brain scans are all clear, except for the small contusion that shouldn't cause any problems and the swelling has significantly reduced. When we switch her over, we are positive she will take breaths alone." The nurse smiled as she watched relief spread over Troy's face, she loved being able to spread happiness to families.

Troy looked up at Gabriella; he couldn't believe how proud he was of her. She was doing better than he had ever imagined she would and he couldn't wait for her to be awake so he could tell her properly.

"Troy, we have a fold out bed in our relatives' room. Would you like us to bring it in here for you tonight? I'd really like you to be comfortable while you stay with her; you'll end up sick yourself if you sleep hunched in that chair for another night." The young nurse offered kindly, understanding Troy's need to be close to Gabriella.

Troy smiled; he was relived he would finally be able to have a proper night's sleep and would still be able to be close to Gabriella.

"That would be incredible, thank you so much!" Troy replied, looking forward to bedtime for the first time since Gabriella's attack.

Natalia began to get her things together quickly, picking up her bag and wrapping her arms around Troy tightly.

"I have to head off to collect my things and catch my flight, you're a good guy Troy you really are and I hope that Gabriella realizes how good you are for her. I know you'll look after my baby girl." With that, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and left with tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Troy hoped that it wouldn't be long before Natalia returned; he knew how much Gabriella loved her mother and wished she could visit more often.

He made a mental note to invite her back as soon as Gabriella was home.

~TG~

Troy had just finished reading Gabriella some recent news stories when the door opened softly. Troy looked over and spotted a shy nurses waiting for the right moment to speak.

"Everything okay?" Troy asked, wondering what it was she needed to tell him, she had a nervous look about her as she fully entered the room.

"There are some detectives here to see you; would you like me to send them in or would you prefer to see them away from Gabriella?" She asked, not really knowing how Troy would react.

Troy had never met this nurse before; she had a different uniform on and assumed that she was simply filling in from somewhere else while they were short staffed. It was evident that she knew nothing about Gabriella's case and Troy could sense that she was suspicious on him; he couldn't help but wonder if she thought he had done this to Gabriella.

"Whatever they have to say can be said in front of Gabriella, I'd really prefer not to leave her." Troy didn't trust this nurse with his Gabriella, he was sure she was excellent at her job but there was just something about her that made Troy uncomfortable.

He watched as she left the room, grabbing hold of Gabriella's cold hand tightly as he wondered what the detectives wanted to talk about.

"Nice to see you again Troy," Detective Nikos spoke as he entered the room followed by his partner, Detective Yun.

The pair had worked hundreds if not thousands of cases together and neither had seen anybody so loving, protective and supportive as Troy was towards Gabriella.

"What's going on?" Troy asked politely, hoping that the detectives hadn't formulated some crazy idea that he had pushed Gabriella and were here to take him away from her.

He couldn't be away from her, not even for a second. The idea of leaving her alone, only to have somebody potentially harm her again frightened him…no, he had to be there every second of everyday.

"We've just arrested Seth Keres. An eye witness from Gabriella's building came forward this morning, she told us what she had seen and we made the arrest. We are just waiting for the DNA of skin found under Gabriella's nails to come back as a match along with matching the size of the bruise on Gabriella's face to his hand impressions and then we will be formally indicting him." Detective Nikos informed Troy, looking down at his notebook to make sure he had got all of the details correct.

Relief washed over Troy's body; they had talked to Seth, found a witness and some evidence and realized that he was the man that had near enough killed Gabriella.

"Thank you for letting us know. It will mean a lot to Gabriella when she wakes up to know that she's safe and it means a lot to me too." Troy smiled at the detectives, greatly appreciating that they had made the trip to the hospital just to share the news.

The usually quiet Detective Yun stepped forwards, looking closely at Gabriella and then up at Troy.

"Have they said when she might wake up? What might happen when she does?" He asked, surprising both Troy and Detective Nikos.

Troy too looked down at Gabriella, brushing his hand softly against her face before cupping her cheek.

"Tomorrow, she's going to wake up tomorrow. As far as what will happen after that, it's all kind of unknown. They have done brain scans and tested her brain function and they said that there shouldn't be any lasting damage, but it can't be completely ruled out until she wakes up." Troy spoke cautiously, not wanting to talk about the possibilities too much as to not put negative thoughts out into the universe.

The two detectives looked sadly at Gabriella; she was such an amazing young women with her whole life ahead of her, and now there was the possibility that that would all be taken away.

They became more determined than ever to make Seth pay for what he had done.

"Keep us updated and give us a call when she's well enough to speak to us, but there's no rush tell her to get herself better first and then talk to us. With the evidence we potentially have, Gabriella's statement would not be necessary to win the case, so if she isn't ready before the court date that's really no problem." Detective Nikos reassured Troy, before moving towards Gabriella and brushing a strand of stray hair from her face.

He had a daughter just two years younger than Gabriella; cases like this would always put a strain on him, but he just thanked God that Gabriella had someone like Troy to care for her.

"Will do, thanks for everything." Troy spoke genuinely, turning back to Gabriella and grasping her hand once again so that she knew that he was still there.

It had been a difficult three days, but it was clear that things were finally starting to look up. The small shreds of positivity were the only things that kept Troy going, and knowing that Gabriella would be safe from Seth for a significant period of time definitely helped.

"It's going to be alright Beautiful, it really is. They've arrested Seth and someone saw him push you, he won't be hurting you again. I know I've let you down, I promised you that I would never let him hurt you again and he did. I'm so sorry that I let you down, but I won't let it happen again!" He whispered against her skin, kissing it gently as his words brushed across her face.

He couldn't fight the guilt that he felt, he had broken his promise and he could only hope that Gabriella would be able to forgive him.

Troy's moment was broken by a lady briskly walking through the door, he had never seen her before and he wasn't sure who she was.

"I assume you are Troy Bolton, my name is Cornelia Ridel and I am in charge of setting up support at home once patients are discharged. I know Gabriella's doctors anticipate her not having any long term problems but she will need a lot of assistance at home, we need to set something up." Cornelia abruptly spoke at Troy, seemingly not caring enough to get to know himself or Gabriella and the situation that they were in.

He had already made her angry, how dare she assume that he wanted someone to intrude into their lives and offer support that they would almost surely not need.

"I am actually going to care for Gabriella myself; we won't be needing any of your help, thank you." Troy spoke firmly, turning away from the woman and back towards Gabriella.

Cornelia was taken aback by Troy's words, nobody had ever refused her help before and she wasn't sure that Troy understood the situation.

"Listen young man, I understand that Gabriella won't have the same mobility problems as many patients with more severe brain injury but she will be exceptionally tired and will need help. I am aware that you are at school, this is why I suggest that someone come in to help Gabriella while there is nobody there for her." Cornelia began to pull information out of her briefcase, hoping that her words would persuade Troy that she was right and that he did need to take up the offer for support.

Troy became more angered; he desperately tried to keep his anger in check but the woman's total lack of knowledge of their situation and an evident attitude that she didn't care infuriated him beyond belief.

"I tried to be polite but I just can't anymore. Before you came in here you should have learnt a little more about us, I am taking a year out of school to look after Gabriella. She will never have nobody, I will be there for as long as she needs me to, and I will do anything she needs me to. I don't care if I have to get her in and out of the bathtub, I don't care if I have to carry her up and down the stairs…I am prepared to do anything for her and we do not need your help." Troy looked fiercely at Cornelia hoping that she finally got the point before he really did lose his temper completely.

Cornelia sighed harshly, picking up the pamphlets and roughly throwing them back into her brief case.

"Well good luck to you is all I can say," with that she disappeared out of the room.

Troy chuckled; Cornelia was the kind of person that he knew riled up Gabriella, people that waded in with little or no consideration for the situation before them.

"Did you hear that Beautiful? We don't need her help; I promise you that I will be there every second of everyday, I'm going to take care of you…I promise." Troy tightened his grip on her hand, grasping her other hand softly with his, he needed to feel like he was holding her.

It pained him to not be able to be close to her, to know that it was impossible for him to sweep her into his arms and hold her until she was better.

He would soon be able to do that; he was sure of it and if she kept recovering at the pace she was, he was sure that she would be home in no time.

It was then that he realized; when Gabriella woke up he would risk everything, he had to risk everything. When she was awake and coherent; he would tell her how he felt about her, and this time he would be sure that she would hear it.

~TG~

Night had fallen across San Francisco and it found Troy relishing in the feeling of a bed. He hadn't slept in one since Gabriella's accident but the need to be close to her had kept the sleep exhaustion at bay.

But the generous nurses had solved his dilemma between a comfortable night's sleep and staying with Gabriella. They had pulled the bed into the room, made it up comfortable linen and pushed it right up next to Gabriella's bed so that he could keep a tight hold on her hand.

It felt so good to sink into a deep sleep, the feeling of the plush pillow against her head felt like heaven in comparison to sleeping with his head hunched onto Gabriella's bed.

Although comfortable enough to fall into a deep sleep, Troy's body was seriously resisting. As soon as he fell just close to it, something would pull him out again.

He listened carefully to the rhythmic beeps that came from the machines hooked up to Gabriella's body, taking reassurance in the fact that there were no alarms and no abnormal sounds. Despite this; Troy found it hard to relax, his mind still swirling around with thoughts, feelings and worries.

Suddenly his shallow sleep was broken; he quickly shot up in bed wondering whether sleep deprivation was beginning to play with his mind.

But he was right.

He wasn't imagining it.

She really had squeezed his hand.

She had grasped her fingers around his and squeezed with everything she had.

"Ella? Beautiful? Can you hear me? Can you squeeze my hand again?" Troy asked anxiously, desperate for Gabriella to squeeze his hand again and not only confirm he wasn't crazy but confirm that she could finally hear him.

She squeezed again.

Troy closed his eyes and laughed, he had no idea why but all of a sudden uncontrollable fits of laughter erupted from is body.

"You're ok Beautiful…everything is going to be okay!" He whispered against Gabriella cheek, kissing her countless times.

It really was going to be okay, it was no longer it might be okay or hopefully it will be ok.

No, it really was going to be okay!

**So there is chapter four! Look out for chapter five real soon! Don't forget to review!**


	5. Nowhere Else I'd Rather Be

**Well, welcome to chapter five! I'm loving writing this so far like really, really, really loving it and I am hoping you are loving reading it haha! **

~TG~

'_When the evening shadows and the stars appear  
>And there is no one there to dry your tears<br>I could hold you for a million years'_

_~ Bob Dylan – Make you feel my love_

_~TG~_

It was a tense wait for the doctors to arrive the next morning; a nurse had already been in and switched off Gabriella's sedation completely, and now it was all up to Gabriella to wake up enough to remove the tube.

Doctor Chia-Chan knocked on the door before entering the room, watching as Troy whispered reassuring words in Gabriella's ears.

"Morning Troy, I've come in hoping that she's awake enough for us to do this now. I'd like to get everything moving, is that okay?" Mike Chia-Chan asked Troy, knowing he would have no objections and that he had been desperate for Gabriella to be awake for days.

Troy nodded his head fiercely, not wanting anything else to delay finally being able to hear Gabriella's voice and to be able to hold her properly.

"Alright then, let's get going. Gabriella, my name is Mike and I'm one of the doctors here. You are in intensive care at San Francisco General Hospital, I need you to nod you're head if you can hear me and let me know you understand." Mike waited patiently for Gabriella's response, relieved as she nodded her head firmly. "Good; you have a tube in your throat that's been helping you breathe for a few days but I'd like to take that out now. Before we start, can you give me a really big cough? Just so that I know you can do it?" Mike requested; once again waiting for Gabriella's response and was delighted as she coughed hard against the tube. "Fantastic! On the count of three I need you to give me a really big cough and I'll pull out the tube, it will be over before you know it. Ready? One, two, three." With that he pulled the tube out quickly, throwing it aside in order to check that Gabriella was coping without it.

The first few seconds were always tense, and the fact that Gabriella was coughing and gagging harshly did not make it any easier but he knew that this was more than normal.

She regained her breath quickly, taking just a small glance around before falling back asleep on her soft pillow.

"That's perfectly normal. Although we turned off her sedation; we gave her a little boost of a different drug in an injection a little while ago so that she didn't pull out her tube before we were ready, that should wear off in the next half an hour or so. She's going to be really confused and scared when she wakes up, so it's a good thing that you're here. She won't remember any of what just happened so, if you want to say anything important I would leave it until tomorrow when she will be fully alert." Mike reassured Troy as he wrote in Gabriella's notes and disposed of the use equipment in the bin, glancing quickly at Gabriella as she slept peacefully in the bed.

Troy pulled out his phone and quickly typed out a message, he had promised Gianna that he would let her know as soon as anything changed and this was definitely a change. He wished that Natalia and Gianna could have stayed longer, at least long enough to share the feelings of intense relief that he was feeling.

He kept a firm hand wrapped around Gabriella's as she slept, relishing in the feeling of her movements as she dreamt peacefully in a drug induced sleep.

She had done so well, he couldn't quite believe that she had made it this far. When he had received the call to say that there had been an accident he was sure that she was gone, that she would have died and would never have known how much he loved her.

He knew what Seth was capable of and all he could do was be thankful that she had been strong enough to survive the evil excuse for a man.

Resting back in the reclining chair in the room, he got out a book to read and settled down for the long day that was undoubtedly ahead of them.

~TG~

It was almost midnight before Gabriella stirred again, she hadn't needed to be woken for food because the doctors were still feeding her through a tube in her nose. They had advised him just to let Gabriella wake up full in her own time and that's what he had done.

He led back on the bed and dozed quietly, listening out for any sign of Gabriella beginning to wake so that he could be there for her as soon as she did.

And then it came.

"Troy?" A very quiet husky voice whispered, sounding out into the now silent room that was free of the continuous beeping of the past few days.

He leapt up from his bed as he had done the previous night, laying his eyes on her body that was sitting upright in bed.

"Hey Beautiful, just relax everything is okay!" Troy reassured sweetly, rubbing her back soothingly as she frantically looked around the room.

She was confused, scared and disorientated just like Mike said she would be; and while Troy was sure he would know how he would deal with it, now that he was there he had no idea what to do.

"Where am I? What's happening to me? I don't understand, everything hurts and I'm scared!" She husked, her voice barely audible because her throat was dry and her vocal chords hadn't been used for days.

It pained Troy to see her like this, so vulnerable and so scared. He had no idea what he could do to help her, all he could do was be there for her and hope it was enough.

"You're in hospital sweetheart. You had a nasty fall, Seth pushed you down the stairs and you hit your head but you're fine now Beautiful, you're doing so well, I just can't believe you're actually awake. You will hurt for a little while, but I'm going to be here for you the whole time." Troy gushed, wanting Gabriella to feel as supported and safe as possible as he revealed to her exactly why she was in the hospital.

Suddenly it all came back to her.

Seth had shown up at her apartment, they had got into a fight and the last she thing remembered was falling. She couldn't remember hitting the cold stone ground and she was relieved about that, with all of the horrible memories swirling around her head the last thing she wanted to remember was that.

The next thing that struck her was what had happened to Seth? Where had he gone after he pushed her? Had he helped her or had he just left her for dead? Where was he now?

Hundreds of questions spun around her mind and began to make her feel dizzy; she leaned against Troy for support, desperately hoping that he could answer at least some of her questions.

"Tell me what happened? Please tell me what happened? I remember him pushing me and falling but I have nothing after that…not really anyway. Where is he now? Does he know I'm here?" Gabriella panicked, gripping hold of Troy with everything she had and refusing to let go.

Troy sighed, he knew it would be bad but he had never imagined she would be this distressed. He allowed her to grip hold of him, returning her grasp by wrapping his arms tightly around her shivering body and slide himself onto the space on her bed.

"After you fell…he um…he kicked you, called 911 and left. I got a call from the ER saying that you'd had an accident; I came as quickly as I could and haven't really left since. He knows that you're here but he can't get to you Beautiful, he's been arrested. A witness came forward and they took some DNA from under your finger nails, you scratched him up pretty good I hear. He can't hurt you again." Troy tucked Gabriella's head into his neck, protectively sheltering her face from the world with his arm and kissing her forehead.

Gabriella nodded; taking in everything she had been told and desperately trying not to let herself get overwhelmed.

"What's going to happen about school?" Gabriella asked, knowing enough about what had happened to her to know that she would not be started school as she had planned the following Monday.

Troy chucked, in the middle of such drama only his sweet Gabriella would worry about school.

"Don't you worry about that, I've taken care of it. We'll both start up again next fall; but just concentrate on getting better for now, we'll talk about school another day. You know; your mom and your sister were here a couple of days back, I promised Gianna you would call her when you were feeling more awake." Troy kissed Gabriella's temple soothingly; allowing her to snuggle as best she could into his body, trying not to pull any of the tubes and wires that were still attached to her body.

Gabriella began to relax into Troy's body, her thoughts beginning to settle as Troy's gentle caresses soothed her.

The ICU never slept.

There were doctors and nurses in and out constantly and it wasn't long before somebody interrupted Troy and Gabriella peaceful sanctuary.

It was another male doctor Troy had never met before; he was younger and kind looking with light ginger hair that stood out against his baby blue scrubs.

"Nice to finally meet you properly Gabriella; I just need to check you over and make sure that everything is going well, is that okay?" He asked, smiling kindly at Troy as he fiddled around for the equipment that he required.

Gabriella nodded silently, not wanting to break her calm state with words and still clinging to Troy with everything that he had left in her.

The doctor approached the bed and asked her to sit forwards slightly; he listened to her lungs and her heart and nodded in approval.

"You're doing beautifully Gabriella. You have been really lucky; you have a small bruise on your brain and in some people it can be very severe but you have been lucky. I don't see why in a couple of days you couldn't be out of intensive care, you're making fantastic progress." Troy smiled down at Gabriella as the doctor spoke; he was so proud of her that he couldn't quite contain himself.

Gabriella nodded; she had already realized how lucky she was, as she had opened her eyes and seen Troy sleeping in a bed beside her she knew that she was lucky.

She didn't need a doctor to tell her.

~TG~

Gabriella felt much brighter as she opened her eyes the next morning. After their brief disturbance from the doctor; Gabriella had spent the rest of her night snuggled up next to Troy, and the rest had done her the world of good.

She had had a brief discussion with the doctors as they came around and she had assured them she definitely felt strong enough to start eating small amounts of food. She was desperate to ditch the uncomfortable tube that sat in her nose, along with the restricting tubes that were stuck into her arms.

They had explained to Gabriella that if things went well for the rest of the day; that they could all be removed, and she was more than determined to make that happen.

She had sent Troy away to get a proper breakfast and to shower, even if it was only in the relatives' bathroom that was conveniently attached to the unit. She couldn't believe how much he had given up for her; he had held back achieving his degree for her, he had spent days upon days sitting by her bedside, and he had taken care of her mother and sister when they needed him.

She had no idea how she would thank him for all of this, or even why he was doing it. Surely he could be out there meeting girls that he could make girlfriends rather than being stuck inside taking care of her.

The experiences she had had while she was sedated and sleeping confused her, she wasn't sure whether she had been dreaming or whether the sounds and words she had heard had been real.

She had been stuck in a constant nightmare, visions of everything she had ever feared had flashed before her eyes and she had not had an escape.

The only comfort she had was Troy's soft voice that has somehow infiltrated her terrible visions. She hadn't been able to make out what he was saying; all she knew was that it was his voice and that it briefly chased away the dreams that haunted her.

"What are you thinking so deeply about Beautiful?" Troy asked as he entered the room, breaking Gabriella from her trance.

She smiled at him brightly; relieved that he was back and somewhat regretting that she had sent him away in the first place. She held out her arms to him, signaling that she wanted him to hold her so that she could snuggle into his arm protective embrace.

"Just thinking…I had these terrible nightmares while I was asleep, they told me that's normal but it doesn't make it any less horrible. I knew that you were here; I could hear you voice but I just couldn't make out what you were saying. All I know is that it made everything better." Gabriella smiled as she cuddled deeply into his arms, allowing herself to relax as she breathed in his delicious scent.

She had never considered the relationship she shared with Troy; nor had she ever considered how she felt for him, but all of a sudden her own hidden feelings were being thrust into her mind.

She was sure she had never felt like this before, she had always loved Troy as a friend but couldn't imagine ever loving him as more…until now.

Even now she wasn't sure what she was feeling was true or whether she was simply in deep shock at the week's events.

"Listen Gabriella, about what I said to you while you were asleep. I know you said you didn't hear any of it, but I promised myself that once you were awake I would tell you this. I just want you to listen while I ramble on for a little while okay?" Gabriella frowned at Troy's words, wondering what on earth had been so important that he felt he needed to tell her right now.

Troy took a deep breath, unsure as to how he was going to phrase his speech now that he was sure she was listening.

He just had to come out and said it…that was going to be the only way he would be able to do this.

"While you were asleep I gave you this big long speech but now that you're awake…it's different, so I'm just going to come right out and say it. I love you, I have for a really long time and these last few days I've realized how important you are to me. I want you to know its okay not to feel the same way; I just really needed you to know." Troy felt incredible as the words flowed from his lips, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he was finally free.

Gabriella was stunned; she had only just begun contemplating her own feelings for Troy and now she was faced with contemplating his too. Not that she minded, throughout the morning she hadn't stopped imagining what it would be like to be with him.

She took a deep breath and tried to find the right words, she had never found herself in a situation like this one before and she wasn't entirely sure what to say so as not to mess it up.

"Wow Troy…" _Wow Troy, is that all you could come up with? _She scolded herself in her head, frustrated that the only words she had managed to say had been off the scale lame. "I really can't tell you how I feel right now; I don't want you to think that I would never be able to feel that way for you…because I really believe that in time I will. I just need to get used to the idea, is that okay?" Gabriella took hold of Troy's hand in her own, playing gently with his fingers so as to avoid any eye contact.

She mentally slapped herself, words never failed her and now all of a sudden she had absolutely nothing good to say.

At that very moment in time she wanted nothing more than for Troy to sweep her into his arms and kiss her; but she knew it would be wrong, the situation they were in was so unfamiliar and so unstable she needed to be sure what she was feeling was real and not a reaction to the shock.

"As long as I have you in my life and you're happy that's all that matters to me. I just needed you to know, the thought of losing you and having you never know frightened me and I promised myself I would tell you. I hope this doesn't make it awkward between us." Troy spoke nervously, removing his hands from Gabriella and unwinding his arms from around her body.

She sighed; quickly pulling back his hands and wrapping his arms back around her and snuggling deep into his body. She closed her eyes and relished in the feeling of be safe and protected, she never wanted the feeling to end.

"It's never going to be awkward Troy, never! Right now I just have a lot to take in but I want you to know that in time I will feel the same way, I know I will. Don't ever feel like you can't tell me how much you care about me; it's magical to hear those words, I've just got it and I'm not about to let you take it away." Gabriella soothed Troy's worries gently, pressing a delicate kiss onto his cheek before wrapping her arms as tightly around him as she could.

Troy smiled relieved; he had waited what felt like a lifetime to reveal his true feelings, now he was finally relishing in the feeling of being able to hold the girl he loved…and she finally knew it.

"Well in that case, I love you!" Troy whispered against her skin, sinking deep into the sound of her giggles and she hugged him tightly.

"Thank you." She whispered back simply, hoping Troy knew just how much those words had really meant to her.

~TG~

As Gabriella opened her eyes the next morning she realized she was finally free of the lines and tubes that had previously been in her arms. She sat up in bed and stretched satisfyingly, relishing in the freedom she had with her newly free arms.

She glanced to her left and looked on at Troy sleeping peacefully; she hated that he had lost sleep over her but he seemed to be catching up.

A nurse quietly poked her head around the door, asking Gabriella whisperingly if she would like to try going to her bathroom this morning for a shower.

Gabriella couldn't think of anything better, she hadn't been able to shower for days and she felt utterly disgusting.

She nodded silently, placing a finger at her lips and motioning her head to the still sleeping Troy. The nurse nodded her head understandingly, tiptoeing across the room to Gabriella's bedside and helping her to sit slowly on the edge of the bed.

"Your legs are going to be really wobbly, you haven't used them for a few days but don't worry you won't fall. When you start using them again they will start to feel better and our physio will start working with you to help the process along." Gabriella smiled and nodded, she had never met this nurse before but she definitely liked her.

She was a little older than most of the other nurses, her hair pinned neatly to her head, beginning to grey from its natural tan color.

She was kind, reassuring and comforting, exactly what Gabriella needed as she took her first steps since her accident.

The nurse hadn't been joking, her legs felt like they would never hold her weight and as she began to put weight onto her feet a searing pain shot through her body.

But she was not going to give up; she was going to get to that shower just a few steps away if it killed her.

Catching her balance and steadying herself on her feet she took her first shaky step towards the bathroom door. It hadn't been as painful as she was expecting, with the initial shock over and done with, the pain she was experiencing now was more than manageable.

She smiled as she finally made it into the bathroom, stunned that she had walked so far with just minimal help from the kind nurse who had accompanied her.

"Would you like me to stay in and help you? Or would you like me to wait outside?" she asked, hoping that giving Gabriella the options would allow her to feel that she could ask for complete privacy if she felt like she needed it.

Gabriella thought for a second; she had never been shy about her body and could really do with a little help to get herself all cleaned up and feeling better.

"I'd like you to stay if that's okay. I'm still stiff and sore and I don't think I'd be able to wash my back and hair properly." Gabriella replied sweetly; smiling as the nurse shut the door behind them and locked it, gathering together everything she would need to make Gabriella feel as good as new.

She helped Gabriella out of her clothes, turning on the shower and checking the water temperature before allowing the water to cascade over Gabriella's body.

"That's a lovely young man you have in there; you're a very lucky girl." The nurse spoke kindly, rubbing the shampoo gently into Gabriella's hair before rinsing it out with the warm water from the shower.

Gabriella wasn't sure she'd ever felt so amazing before, it felt so good to have the warm water flowing over her body after so long without it. She had many passionate nights in her time but she was sure that this was better than all of them put together.

"Yeah I am, he's amazing…really amazing." Gabriella sighed as she began to dry herself off with the towel that she had been handed.

She had extensively contemplated her feelings for Troy since his huge revelation, and she had come to the conclusion that before too long she would definitely be able to feel the same way.

She hoped that Troy knew that, she hoped that he knew that one day they would be together as they should be and that she wouldn't totally give up on her feelings for him just because her mind was in a difficult place.

"Well, why don't we get you all dressed and then you can potter over to his bed and wake him up?" Gabriella smiled at the thought; she could what the look on his face would be if he saw her standing there, out of bed and standing all on her own.

Gabriella nodded happily, pulling on her underwear and shrugging on some comfortable pajamas before making a move towards the door.

She was much less wobbly this time around, her legs already beginning to remember what they had to do in order to get her to where she wanted to be.

Gripping onto the nurses arm tightly she approached Troy's bed. Bending down, she pressed a kiss to each of his closed eyes and finally the tip of his nose.

This was the most intimate she had ever been with Troy and she was loving allowing the feelings that she felt deep within her to make their way out into the open.

"Ella?" Troy asked confused as to who would else would be kissing him while he slept in Gabriella's hospital room.

He opened his eyes cautiously; surprised to see Gabriella's smiling face just centimeters away from his.

"Beautiful! What are you doing up and out of bed? Have you taken a shower?" Troy asked, noticing that Gabriella's curly hair laid in wet tresses down her pajama clad back.

She nodded; her smile growing a she stood up and showed Troy how strong she was on her legs. Without answering his questions with words; she lifted up Troy's duvet and snuggled down next to him in his bed, hoping that the fold out bed would hold both of their weights.

"You're incredible," Troy whispered against Gabriella's cheek, not quite believing that she had been so forward as to crawl into bed with him and snuggle deep into his arms.

They submerged themselves in the perfect moment, not caring about anything that was occurring outside of the room and concentrating just on each other.

Sadly, as seemed to be the case in recent times, their perfect moment was interrupted this time by Detective Nikos rather than one of the nurses that bustled in and out of Gabriella's room.

"I'm really sorry to disturb you guys but I heard that Gabriella was awake and I was wondering, could we have a quick chat? I also have some news for you." Detective Nikos made his way further into the room after Gabriella's nodded, settling himself in the reclining chair and pulling out his voice recorder.

"I hope I'll be able to answer all of your questions. The doctors said I've been really lucky and haven't suffered any memory loss so I should be able to help." Gabriella spoke timidly, snuggling deeper into Troy's protective arms and she began to relive the experiences that put her in hospital.

Troy tightened his hold on her, smoothing her hair comfortingly as he whispered his love for her almost silently in her ear.

"I'd like to start off my clarifying a few things if that's ok. Can you confirm that Seth Keres was your boyfriend?" He asked, watching as Gabriella nodded and replied with a timid yes as she began to look fearful.

"Do you remember anything about you accident?" He asked again, hoping that his question was open enough to allow Gabriella to discuss her experiences in detail.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, willing the bad memories to the front of her mind in order to be able to share them with the detective.

"Troy had just left for work; he had come over the night before because of the storm and kept me company. Someone knocked at the door and I forgot to check who it was, it was Seth and he was really mad. He pushed me into the apartment and started making wild claims that I was sleeping with Troy; I denied it, he hit me and I fell to the floor. I managed to get up and I ran towards the door and out into the corridor; he chased me and caught me and then he started shouting at me again. The last thing I remember was him pushing me; I don't remember hitting the floor." Tears leaked from her eyes as she relayed the story, she felt Troy kiss her neck and snuggle her head into his chest protectively.

Detective Nikos smiled sadly at the girl, hating the man for doing such a horrible thing to such a strong beautiful girl.

"Thank you Gabriella, your statement will be very useful. I do have some news for you both that I think will cheer you up. You won't need to testify in court Gabriella, Seth has already been in court based on the witness statement and the evidence we have collected. We searched his apartment and found notebooks filled with plans to harm people, including you Gabriella among others. There was a specific page about how angry he was about Troy and how he planned to cause you harm to hurt him. For this reason we believe he went to you apartment with the intention to cause you serious harm, the district attorney charged him with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit multiple felonies. The judge agreed with the charge and the jury were convinced by the conclusive evidence we collected. He is serving twenty five upstate and won't be up for parole for at least twenty." Gabriella was shocked at the detective's words; taking several minutes to digest the huge amount of information she had just been given.

She couldn't believe that a man she had fallen for could commit such a horrible crime, and not only to her but to other people to. She wondered who those other people might be, and she contemplated for several minutes as to whether it would be appropriate to ask.

"Um Detective, I don't know if it's something I can ask but who were the other people? I can understand why he would want to hurt me but not other people." Troy couldn't believe the words that had just come out of Gabriella's mouth; there was no rhyme or reason as to why Seth would harm her but for some reason she could make sense of it.

Detective Nikos was unsure about what to answer, the specific names were confidential but he felt compelled to answer Gabriella's question as much as possible.

"Ex girlfriends, his parents, people who crossed him at school and in college. We weren't short of names that's for sure." Gabriella closed her eyes and sighed; despite the hate that she had developed for Seth, she was so relieved that nobody else had been hurt.

"Thank you, for everything." Troy spoke kindly at Detective Nikos; he owed so much to the older man that sat before them, if not for catching the man that harmed the girl he loved then for protecting her from him for a considerable amount of time.

Detective Nikos smiled and nodded, shaking hands with Troy and hugging Gabriella quickly before he made his exit.

Troy and Gabriella laid back down in the bed, absorbing everything they had been told and adoring the feelings of security they took from each other.

"Big day huh…" Troy whispered, not really sure what to say about the mornings events other than to exclaim how epic they had really been.

Gabriella nodded, turning herself on her side and laying her head on Troy's chest.

"I think it's time for a nap." She spoke slowly, her eyes drifting closed and sleep beginning to overtake her body.

Troy closed his eyes as soon as he was sure Gabriella was asleep.

In that very moment, he was sure that there was nowhere else in the world he would rather be.

**I hope you enjoyed chapter five! This has been my favorite chapter so far to write and I just cannot wait to get started on the others! Don't forget to let me know what you thought! Look for the next update real soon! **


	6. New York New York

**Welcome to chapter six…I don't think I have anything I need to say so I'm just going to get right into it haha! Oh wait there is one thing…I'm really sorry for the time skips in this chapter it's just necessary to move the story along! I hope you all understand!**

~TG~

'_You could be my hero_

_If only I could let go'_

-Pixie Lott – Broken Arrow

~TG~

Four long, painful and frustrating weeks later and Gabriella was still sat bored in her hospital bed. Thankfully, she had been discharged from the ICU and was comfortably situated in a normal and beautifully peaceful hospital unit.

She had made an exceptional recovery over the last four weeks, but despite this she still struggled to walk long distances and do any activities that could be considered a little bit strenuous.

The doctors told her that she would be able to go home any day now; she was more than desperate to sleep in a comfortable bed and finally be able to live life on her own schedule.

"I just saw Doctor Craymer on the way in! Great news, he said that I could take you home today!" Troy spoke excitedly as he entered Gabriella's room, throwing down the bags that he had in his arms before making his way across the room and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

They had become much closer since Gabriella's attack, and in the three and a half weeks since Troy had admitted his love for her their relationship had grown leaps and bounds. They still hadn't shared a kiss and they were nowhere near being officially together, but neither felt rushed to commit into a relationship with everything that had happened in their lives.

"Really? That's awesome! I can't wait to get home!" Gabriella wrapped her arm around Troy's neck, hugging him close as she allowed her excitement to flow from her body.

It had taken a lot for Troy to convince Gabriella that she should spend some time with him at his apartment when she was finally allowed home. She hated the idea of imposing upon his life, relying on him for everything and interrupting all of his plans.

Troy had sat her down, held her hands and assured her that he wanted nothing more than to take care of her all day everyday and informed her that he had already got the quest room perfected for her arrival.

Once she had agreed; she became secretly thankful that she would be staying at Troy's, the idea of returning to her apartment so soon after her attack frightened her beyond belief.

Just as Gabriella was about to pull Troy down to the bed to snuggle deeper into his arms, the door opened revealing the middle aged Doctor George Craymer.

"Well Gabriella; I have filled in all of the necessary paperwork, you medications have come up from our pharmacy and because we haven't needed to implement any homecare you are free to go whenever you're ready." Gabriella smiled at Doctor Craymer as she listened to his words, so excited to actually hear them for herself.

She eased herself up off the bed, sitting herself down in the wheelchair that Troy had brought up from the main entrance and pulling her bag into her lap.

"Take me home."

~TG~

A shrill November wind swept across Gabriella's body as she exited the car and made her way towards the tall looking professional building before her.

She couldn't believe that she had been out of hospital for three weeks already and was relieved that life was slowly becoming easier.

She still needed Troy's help for many things, the most embarrassing of all being showering, she was yet to find the strength to wash her hair and herself without needing to take a long nap afterwards. They had worked out a routine, despite having become closer and closer in the past weeks, Gabriella would shower in a bikini and Troy would remain in his boxers.

Gabriella giggled at the thought; she wasn't entirely sure what was holding her back from offering herself to Troy fully, with any other guy they would have at least kissed by now if not more but she and Troy were yet to share that experience.

She valued his patience, she could see that it was hard for him but her mind was still crammed full of emotions that were preventing her from making a full commitment to Troy.

"That's a pretty serious look Beautiful, something on your mind?" Troy asked as he took her left with his own and wrapped his right arm around her shoulder for support.

Troy had been incredible since Gabriella's discharge from hospital; he remained at her side twenty four hours a day and didn't stop at anything to make sure that she was okay.

"Just thinking about stuff, I'm pretty nervous." Troy sighed at Gabriella's response, he had to admit he was a little nervous for her but he hoped that the next hour and a half would go without a hitch.

It was Gabriella's first therapy appointment and she was more than apprehensive at the thought of sharing her innermost feelings with a complete stranger. She hadn't really wanted therapy at all, she was sure that she would have been able to work though her feelings alone or with Troy, but the hospital had insisted that therapy of this kind was mandatory for anybody who had experienced what she had.

It had taken Troy a long time to convince her it was a good idea, even if it was just for a couple of sessions. He reminded her of the day he found her crying, surrounded by pictures and the fact she had hidden her brother from him for so long. Perhaps therapy would help her through those issues too?

She had been surprised when a letter had come in the mail informing her that she could need to attend three therapy sessions a week that equated to four and a half hours a week of discussing her feelings.

This had lead her to be even more unsure as to whether it was a good idea or not; but Troy had pointed out that the more hours she fits in a week, the fewer weeks she will be required to drag it out for.

As the stepped out of the elevator, Gabriella still gripping onto Troy tightly for support, they found themselves in the psychology department reception area.

Gabriella signed herself in at the desk and sat herself down in a chair, gripping Troy's hand tightly as he settled himself next to her.

She feared being away from him, she had been with him constantly and the thought of being away from him in her most vulnerable moments frightened her more than she could ever have imagined possible.

Troy sense her fear and pressed a reassuring kiss to her temple, he hated to see her so scared and as a shadow of her once confident and outgoing self.

Just as he was about to whisper reassuring words in her ear, her name was called loudly through the room.

She looked up at him fearfully, terrified that if she let go of his hand she would break down and never make her way back up.

"You're going to be fine Beautiful, but if you need me I'll be right here and all you have to do is come out and get me alright?" Gabriella nodded wordlessly as she wrapped her arms around Troy's neck and hugged him tightly to her body, she felt safe with him and she needed that now more than ever.

As she entered the professional looking room she spotted a large woman with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Gabriella wasn't sure how old the woman was but she guessed she was around a similar age to her own mother.

"Hello there Gabriella, my name is Lilija Junesson. How about you come over and take a seat?" She spoke soothingly, directing Gabriella's to the large comfortable couch with her hand and smiling at her gently.

Gabriella sat herself down gently on the edge of the couch, nervously playing with her fingers in her lap as she looked up at the woman before her.

They sat in silence for several minutes, Lilija giving Gabriella a few minutes to collect herself and Gabriella having no idea how she was supposed to start the conversation.

"Why don't you start by telling me about the young man waiting for you outside, is he your boyfriend?" Lilija asked, smiling as Gabriella's eyes lit up at the mention of Troy. She had Gabriella's case file and she knew that the man who attacked her had been her boyfriend, but there had been no mention of the caring young man she had seen her with just minutes ago.

Gabriella shook her head, wondering how she should phrase her response so as not to make it seem like she was using Troy for support and stringing him alone without a hope of anything more.

"Not really, I know he loves me but I just…with everything that's happened I feel like I can't get into a relationship right now." Gabriella sighed, her words hadn't come out the way she had planned them too but she hoped that she wouldn't have come across as a total bitch.

Lilija frowned, she had been unsure what to expect when she read Gabriella's file but she definitely hadn't been expecting this.

"And why is that Gabriella?" She asked, hoping that her guiding questions to uncover some hidden issues that they could work through together.

The question caused Gabriella to frown, how could she possible answer a question that she didn't know the answer to? And she was sure that the whole idea of seeing a therapist was to help her find answers to questions just like that one.

"I've known Troy for a while and we've always been best friends, but my now ex-boyfriend just put me in Intensive care and almost killed me…do you really expect me to be comfortable in a relationship now?" Gabriella realized that her answer had been a little brash, but she wasn't sure what else she was supposed to say.

She didn't feel bad, she knew that lots of people got angry at these sessions and her snapped comment couldn't possibly be anything on some of the things that must have been said between the four walls.

"Would Troy ever hurt you like that?" She asked simply, hoping this time her question would provoke Gabriella to reveal her deeper feelings that were lying inside of her.

Gabriella frowned again, she had never imagined Troy would ever hurt her and despite everything she had been through she was more than sure that Troy would never lay a violent hand on her.

"Never!" She replied simply and almost defensively, horrified that anybody could think of Troy hurting her like that.

Lilija smiled widely, this was exactly the answer she had been hoping for.

"Then is there really a reason for you not to be in a relationship with him?"

~TG~

Troy sat nervously in the waiting room, wondering and worrying how Gabriella was coping with the stress of sharing her feelings.

He would do anything to protect her and he vowed that he would never leave her side again, he was really struggling sitting alone in the sterile whitewashed waiting room with no idea who how she was feeling.

It had only been an hour and twenty five minutes since Gabriella had disappeared behind the door but it felt like an eternity. He had tried to keep himself busy, reading newspapers and magazines that were spread around the room, but he just couldn't keep his mind of Gabriella.

Suddenly the door opened and relief washed over his entire body.

Gabriella rushed into Troy's awaiting arms, snuggling herself deep into his embrace and breathing in his comforting scent.

She had never let herself be so vulnerable to anybody but Troy and it frightened her that somebody else knew exactly how she was feeling.

She had never imagined that her first session would settle so many thoughts; she had gone in thinking it would be a waste of time but now, despite being upset and traumatized, she was more than thankful that she had agreed to the session.

"Can we please go home?" She asked, allowing herself to be immersed in her feelings for Troy and desperate to just be alone with him.

Lilija had given Gabriella a new perspective on her feelings for Troy, she couldn't say she was ready to commit to a fully fledged relationship but she was far closer than she had been mere hours before.

"Oh course we can, how about we bring your duvet onto the couch and we snuggle up and watch a movie?" Troy smiled as he felt Gabriella nod against his chest, wrapping her arms tighter around his waist as they made their way out of the elevator and into the parking lot.

It didn't take them long to arrive back at Troy's apartment and settle themselves down on the couch with a movie in the DVD player and popcorn lying on top of the duvet.

Gabriella was sitting snuggled in between Troy's legs as he lay back against the couch, his arms wrapped tightly around Gabriella's small body and his chin resting against her sweet smelling hair.

Troy sighed thoughtfully, Christmas was coming up in just two weeks time and neither was sure where they would be spending Christmas and whether they would be spending it together.

With everything that had happened, Troy had agreed with Gabriella when she said it would be unwise for her to travel to New York to spend Christmas with her family but hoped that they would be able to come to her. As for Troy; his mother had informed him that she and his father would be spending the Christmas period in Aspen skiing and had invited him along, but he had declined in anticipation of taking care of Gabriella.

Their sweet calm moment was broken by the piercing sound of the phone ringing through the apartment. Troy moved Gabriella forwards gently, shuffling off the couch and making his way towards the phone.

"Oh hey Ms. Montez, let me just pass you over to Gabriella." Troy spoke politely as he handed the phone to Gabriella and slipped behind her again, pulling her body back against his to her previous position.

"Hey mom…oh…not at all? Not even for a couple of days? I really can't travel mom…no, no I understand. Well I guess I'll see you guys in the New Year then…yeah, tell Gianna and Nik I said Merry Christmas when you see them." Gabriella spoke sullenly; suddenly feeling like she wishing it wasn't Christmas in two weeks time at all.

She had no idea what Troy would be doing, or whether he would be visiting his family and the thought of spending Christmas alone was the worst thing ever.

"Mom isn't coming for Christmas; I guess I'll just be hanging around my apartment alone." Gabriella looked down at her hands, turning slightly onto her side in Troy's arms.

To say Troy was disappointed was an understatement, he knew that Gabriella adored her mother but to not even make the short flight for Christmas to spend it with her whole family infuriated him.

"Did she say why?" Troy asked, rubbing his hand soothingly up Gabriella's arms under the warm duvet, kissing her forehead lovingly never once taking his lips away from her smooth soft skin.

"She just said work was too busy to take a week off to gallivant across the country to California." Troy shook his head hoping that Gabriella hadn't felt his movements; she would never show her that he thought her actions were wrong or show any kind of disrespect.

"Well, it sounds like it's just me and you for Christmas then. My parents are skiing in Aspen so I'm not heading home…we'll make it special." Gabriella couldn't believe what she was hearing, she had been sure that Troy would be going home to spend Christmas with his family but he had chosen to spend Christmas with her.

The words Lilija had spoken this morning suddenly came to the front of her mind; forcing her to realize that she wasn't protecting herself by holding back from Troy, she was hurting herself.

"You really don't have to do that Troy, you know you could go to Aspen and ski with your family if you wanted to." Gabriella spoke softly, giving Troy the option but hoping he wouldn't take it.

She needed to do it to settle her mind; to know that she had given him the option and still declined, allowing her to be sure he would never regret spending Christmas alone with her.

"There's no way I could leave you Beautiful. An hour and a half away from you this morning was hell, being away from you for a whole week would just be impossible. Come on, let's get you to bed." Troy chucked at he lifted Gabriella into his arms, causing her to squeal happily.

As he approached the guest bedroom where Gabriella was sleeping, he kicked open the door and allowed Gabriella to reach and flick on the light.

Gently he placed her down on the bed, kissing her forehead gently before placing an affectionate kiss against the end of her nose.

"Goodnight Sweetheart, come and get me if you need anything." Troy whispered as he approached the door, closing it behind him and leaving Gabriella to settle herself for the night.

She sighed; she wished for nothing more than to just sleep in Troy's arms like that had done before, but for some reason since her attack he had been reluctant to hold her through the night.

She knew what she wanted…and she was determined to get it.

~TG~

Gabriella stared out of the apartment window and into the street below, watching as couples and families past by excited for the next day's events.

She was usually excited for Christmas, spending time with her family and eating her mother's fabulous cooking…but this year there would be none of that.

Natalia Montez had always loved the city; despite settling her family away from the hustle and bustle of New York City, she spent most of her working and free time there.

It had always bothered Gabriella how, since her father had left, her mother had put her work before her family. Despite this, she had always made time to spend with her children during the holidays. Gabriella couldn't count the numbers of times they had travelled to spend Christmas with Nikolas while he was in college.

It angered Gabriella that the city had taken over her mother, it was almost as if it meant more to her than her own children and she just couldn't bring herself to leave the busy city for one of the most important holidays of the year.

She had imagined that her mother would be more eager to visit now than she ever had been before. The last time Natalia had seen her she was asleep and hooked up to a ventilator effectively dead to the world around her.

She loved that Troy would be staying to spend the holiday with her, as much as she had tried to convince him that she would have been okay, she would have struggled through Christmas alone.

"What are you thinking about Beautiful?" Troy asked as he approached Gabriella and wrapped his arm around her waist lovingly, resting his chin against her shoulder and breathing in the sweet scene of her shampoo.

Gabriella sighed, she had put on a front for Troy but she knew he could see right through it. She hated that he thought she wasn't excited to be spending Christmas with him, she really was… she just wished her family could be there too.

"Just wishing that mom would put her family before New York City for once…but what can you do." She replied softly, turning her body in Troy's arms and snuggling deep into his protective embrace.

Since Gabriella's therapy session she had allowed herself to slowly become closer to Troy. She didn't want him to think she was rushing into making a decision so she had eased into taking steps forwards…but she had already made up her mind.

They cuddled more than ever before, it seemed that whenever they were close to each other Gabriella naturally gravitated to Troy's comforting embrace and there was no way Troy was complaining about it.

Troy wasn't sure what to say to make Gabriella feel better, it wasn't often that he was clueless but he just wasn't sure there was anything he could say that would make it better…he felt it pointless to just waste words.

"I'm really sorry Beautiful, is there anything that I can do?" Troy asked, unsure as to whether the words he had picked had been the right ones but hoping that he would be able to offer Gabriella at least a little bit of comfort.

Gabriella shook her head and pulled herself closer to Troy, squeezing him so tightly that he wondered if he would be able to breathe…but he didn't mind, just having her in his arms made the whole world around them disappear.

"I don't think so…just being here is all that you can do. Maybe we could do something to distract me for a while?" Gabriella asked, hoping Troy could come up with a suggestion of an activity that would force her mind to think of all the fun she was going to have with Troy this Christmas.

He smiled soothingly, bushing his fingers along her cheek and pressing a light kiss to the end of her nose.

"Well, how about we go Christmas food shopping? I'm a terrible cook and if this is going to be a regular thing you and going to need to teach me how to make all of those incredible Christmas dishes your mom cooks…think you're up for that?" Troy's smile grew as he replayed the words in his mind, not only had he confidently insinuated that they would spend many more Christmases together but he had suggested that on some of them maybe he would do the cooking.

Gabriella's sad face turned to a smile, her eyes brightening as she picture how tomorrow would play out. She couldn't wait; she had taken in all of Troy's words and was surer than ever that it was him she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, despite the issues that still haunted her.

She nodded her head wordlessly, grabbing his hand and pulling them both towards the door and out of the apartment.

After just a quick four minute drive to the grocery store, Troy and Gabriella were strolling hand in hand through the store searching for all of the things they needed for their Christmas feast.

Hand holding was something new for them, it hadn't been something either of them did consciously but it was just what had felt natural at the time.

Both were well aware that there were still huge issues that needed to be worked through, but despite this they had fallen into a comfortable place with each other.

It had been Gabriella that had first taken hold of Troy's hand and interlaced their fingers tightly. They had been walking together in the park, enjoying the Christmas atmosphere when Gabriella slowly ran her hand down his arm and took his hand tightly in his. She wasn't sure what made her do it, but it just felt right. Troy had been stunned, he knew Gabriella was making progress but he would never have made a move that might jeopardize how well she had been doing.

Since that moment it had become something of a natural move for them. When they walked together, invariably their hands would be tightly woven together and Troy would gently brush his thumb against Gabriella's soft skin.

"I have no idea what we need," Troy spoke clueless of the ingredients they would need to put together the dishes that would be eaten.

Gabriella chuckled, not minding that Troy broken her away from her finally happy thoughts with one of his witty remarks.

"Don't worry, I know exactly what we need." Gabriella spoke confidently as she led them towards the large fish counter. "I'm going to make sure this is the best yummiest Christmas ever!" She exclaimed excitedly, asking the fishmonger politely for two large Dungeness crabs and thanking him sweetly for his help.

Troy peered into the cart and the plentiful amounts of ingredients Gabriella had already collected. There were sweet potatoes, several tins of pumpkin, a small chicken, a ham, a wide variety of vegetables, plenty of baking ingredients and a vast selection of delicious looking dairy products.

"Ella? Beautiful? How are we going to eat all of this food?" Troy asked sweetly, watching as Gabriella placed stuffing mix into the cart before leading Troy off further into the store.

Gabriella paused for a moment, frowning as she realized that she had picked up enough food to feed a large family and still have leftovers.

"I forgot it was just the two of us for a second…we really don't need this much food." Troy kicked himself as he took in her somber tone; he wished he had kept his mouth shut rather than forcing her to make the realization that it really was just the two of them this year.

Just as she began to take items out of the cart Troy grabbed hold of her wrist, taking the items from her hand and putting them back into the cart.

"Forget about it, you just make as much as you want and if we have lots leftover we can have a little party with some friends to finish it off or take it to the homeless shelter or something." Gabriella smiled at Troy's suggestion; she liked the idea of helping people who had so little at Christmas.

The smile that had previously graced her face returned and she grasped hold of Troy's hand again and continued on through the store, collecting several more items that they needed to see them through the Christmas store closures.

With all of the necessities packed and paid for the pair made their way back to Troy's cozy apartment, relieved to get out of the bitter Northern California winter weather.

As soon as they were through the door Gabriella got to work in the kitchen, she couldn't wait another second to start baking and making all of the Christmas treats she had grown up with.

Troy watched amused from the door as she rolled out batches of pastry, filling it with sweet potato and pumpkin and mixing together gingerbread dough and shaping them into Christmas-y shapes ready to be baked.

He had been right…this really would be the best Christmas ever.

~TG~

Troy opened his eyes slowly as a delightful scent filled his nose. It took him a few minutes to realize it was Christmas morning but as soon as he did he knew that Gabriella was already up and cooking.

He chuckled and shook his head, he had got used to her being around the apartment and he wasn't sure what he was going to do when she moved back into her own. He couldn't believe that she had got up and started cooking without even alerting him that morning had arrived, she would always be the same old organized Gabriella.

Quickly he got up out of bed; threw on some clothes and brushed his teeth, not bothering to shower in his excitement to see Gabriella…there would be plenty of time for showering later.

As he strolled through the apartment towards the kitchen he realized the time, he had managed to sleep right through until twenty to eleven and couldn't understand why Gabriella hadn't woken him just so excited to open her presents that she couldn't wait any longer.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Troy asked as he wrapped his arm around her back, kissing her cheek lovingly as he whispered Merry Christmas in her ear.

Gabriella smiled at how together this scene would look from the outside, anybody would think they had been together and in love for years and she figured in some way they had…just not in the normal conventional sense of the phrase.

"Well, I tried to wake you but you just wouldn't wake up. I figured I'd come in here and start lunch early and you would get up when you were ready." She spoke sweetly, breaking free of his arms and pulling the sizzling roasted chicken from the oven. "You best go and shower up, lunch will be ready in ten minute." She shooed him away as she pulled the ham from the oven and wrapped both dishes tightly in foil.

It felt strange to have only just woken up and suddenly be eating a big meal but to Troy it was reminiscent of his child and teenage years. Christmases planned out just like this one with himself and his father often sleeping right up until the moment lunch was ready to be served.

He promised himself that next year, he would be up before Gabriella and he would be helping her to make the incredible lunch they would inevitably be eating.

Two hours later Troy and Gabriella found themselves beached on the couch, stuffed full on the wonderful meal Gabriella had prepared. There were plenty of leftovers and Gabriella had packaged them securely for them to take to the homeless shelter later on in the day.

"I think it's time for presents!" Troy spoke excitedly, pulling a bag from behind the couch and handing it to Gabriella.

With all of the drama that had surrounded them the last month, they had barely spoken about what they would like for Christmas. Both had relied entirely on instinct in purchasing gifts and they were equally as nervous as each other about how they would be received.

As she peered into the bag she spotted two neatly wrapped gifts, one large and one very small. She reached in and picked out the large heavy item, slowly and carefully opening the edges of the paper and pulling out the gift from inside.

"Wow Troy, this is incredible! I only talked about this book one time!" Gabriella shrieked excitedly as she flicked through the pages of the large law book she had been wanting for what felt like forever.

She had been meaning to buy it, but with assignments and other school related occurrences getting in the way she was yet to purchase the book that would help her to build her career as a lawyer.

"Open the next one…" Troy spoke nervously, hoping that the contents of the final present would elicit just as much excitement as the first.

She reached into the bag again, pulling out the small delicately wrapped box and gently pulling off the paper to reveal a medium sized velvet box.

Slowly she opened it, nervous of what she would find but excited to reveal its contents.

Inside was a small locket, one she recognized from a shopping trip they had taken together months before. They had walked past a jewelers and she had spotted the locket and mentioned it had been one that Gabriella's grandmother had had but that had been lost through the years. She had mentioned in passing that she wished that the locket had been kept safe and that she had loved the classic design.

"Troy…I don't even have any words…it's the greatest gift I've ever received." Gabriella had no idea what to say, she had never imagined that Troy would have taken enough notice to go back to the store and buy the locket without her even knowing.

"I know it's not the same one but you mentioned that you loved it and that it reminded you of them so…" Troy's words tailed off as he watched Gabriella exploring the locked, memorizing every little design and opening it up to see a picture of her grandparents on one side and a picture of herself and Troy on the other.

She launched herself forwards and hugged him tightly, overwhelmed by the love she was feeling for him and not being sure what to make of it.

"It's better than the real one! I don't know how to thank you." Gabriella reached under the tall Christmas tree for the small envelope that had been wrapped in Christmas paper. "I'm really sorry it isn't much but…I really hope you like it." She took a deep breath as she handed him the envelope and watching him as he opened it slowly.

Troy read the contents of the envelope several times before taking in exactly what it said.

"A boat? Gabriella, Beautiful, this is incredible! It's so much!" Troy pressed a loving kiss against Gabriella's cheek, basking in the unreal feeling of having a boat that was his own.

Gabriella laughed at his excitement, her gift really wasn't all that it seemed and she loved how excited he was despite this.

The boat she had purchased from Troy was completely falling apart. She had spotted it at the docks downtown and noticed that the owner had stuck up a sign informing people that it was available for sale and if it couldn't be sold it would be left to rot in a yard somewhere.

Gabriella knew that Troy had always been passionate about boats; he had restored several in the past but had sold them all on afterwards. She hoped that he would be able to restore and use this boat for a long time to come.

"It's pretty beat up, the owner said it barely even floats right now and he hasn't been able to sail it for months and he sold it to me really cheap. It's gonna take a lot of work but I saw it and it's just what you had described you wanted…I felt like I couldn't let it not be sold and be destroyed." Troy smiled at Gabriella's excitement for the present she had brought him, he had been wondering over recent days what he would fill his free days with but now he had the perfect solution.

He pulled Gabriella to sit snuggly into his arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead and one to her nose before taking both of her cheeks gently in his hands.

"It's perfect…you're perfect! Listen; there was something else I wanted to talk to you about. I was wondering if well…if you would move in here permanently? I love having you around and we could decorate your room however you want it…I just I can't imagine not having you here." Troy rambled on, unsure as to how Gabriella would take his question and not really knowing why his brain had chosen that moment to ask it.

Gabriella held her breath, contemplating everything that had happened recently and silently evaluating her thoughts, feelings and actions.

She replied wordlessly; placing her hands tightly over Troy's that were still rested against her cheek and leaning forward slowly.

This was it…there would be no going back now.

Their lips met in a slow but passionate kiss and the world around them disappeared, all that existed in that very moment was the two of them and the beautiful kiss they were sharing.

Gabriella reluctantly pulled away, resting her nose against Troy's with her eyes still tightly closed.

"I love you," she whispered quietly.

**There you have it! This is the longest chapter so far but I really hope you enjoyed it! Drop me a review to let me know!**


	7. Happiness

**Welcome to chapter seven! This has another time jump but like before it's really necessary to move the chapter on or it would just go on and on forever. Enjoy!**

~TG~

'_Each misfortune will carry in it a seed of tomorrow's luck'_ – Og Mandino

~TG~

Troy paced back and forth as he waited for his girlfriend, yes finally girlfriend, to return home. Gabriella had been at her final hospital check up and then for her final appointment with her therapist.

Troy had been anxious to go but Gabriella reassured him that everything would be fine, that it would just mean him sitting around in waiting rooms and that she would be back home with him before he knew it.

Six long months had passed since Gabriella's attack; neither could believe how quickly the time had passed but were well aware of how difficult it had been to make it this far.

The couple had been officially dating for two months, Gabriella's revelation on Christmas day had thrilled Troy beyond belief and, though none of their friends thought possible, they had grown even more inseparable ever since.

Gabriella had taken up Troy's offer to move into the apartment permanently and while she had started off sleeping in her own room, it was just a matter of days before she made Troy's bedroom home. When Troy had asked her nervously if she was sure, she had simply giggled and replied 'How many nights over the last few years have I slept in here? The only difference now is that I can do this' and she kissed him gently but passionately.

Troy couldn't get enough of kissing her, the feeling of her soft lips against his evoked feelings within him that he never thought possible.

He had filled the hours that Gabriella was at her appointments with working on the boat she had brought him for Christmas. He had worked almost solidly for the last two months and was finally making significant steps towards being able to sail the boat for the first time.

His tension was finally broken by the sound of a key turning in the lock and Gabriella entering the apartment. He rushed through the living room and into the hall, greeting the girl of his dreams by wrapping his arms tightly around her tiny body.

"I missed you so much!" He exclaimed, pulling Gabriella's body even closer as he breathed in her sweet comforting scent.

Gabriella giggled, she too wrapping her arms around Troy and relishing in the feeling of being back in his arms.

"I've been gone like four hours Troy, how could you possibly have missed me that much?" Gabriella giggled again at Troy began to kiss the smooth skin of her neck, sucking lightly at the sensitive spot just behind her ear.

The couple was yet to make their relationship sexual, both had come to a silent understanding that they hadn't wanted to rush things and when they were both ready they would both know.

"I miss you every second that I'm not with you Beautiful, you know that. So, how did it go at the hospital?" Troy asked as the couple made their way into the living room, sitting down onto the couch and snuggling into each other arms.

Gabriella smiled, she had spent most of her morning in the hospital having scan after scan before meeting with the neurologist who had taken over her care once she was discharged from the ICU and couldn't want to tell Troy how it had been.

"Well, I had a CT scan and an MRI scan and then I met with Dr Kristwick, he checked over the scans and is really happy. Everything looks completely normal and he's just given me an open appointment to go back if I have any problems." She replied happily, excited that they could finally put the attack behind them now that she didn't have regular appointments with her doctor.

Pride swelled from Troy's body, he couldn't believe how well his girl had recovered. He couldn't lie, after the attack he had done some research into the recovery of patients with Gabriella's injuries and he had been anything less than hopeful that his precious Gabriella would return to her former incredible self.

But she had outweighed all expectations, even the doctors couldn't have been sure she would recover without any lasting complications no matter how small but she had and in Troy's eyes she was suddenly ten times more incredible.

"Baby…I don't know what to say, that's the best news. God Ella, every time I think I love you so much that I couldn't possibly love you anymore something like this happens and I realize I was wrong. I know that sounds just so cheesy but…you know what I'm going to stop talking now" Troy rambled as he twirled a delicate piece of hair around his right thumb and forefinger.

Gabriella's giggles once again filled the room and she snuggled deeper into Troy's arms, still not quite believing that she had finally admitted her feelings for him and that they were happily in a loving and committed relationship.

"My therapist doesn't want to see me again either, I'm finally free to be able to do whatever I want whenever I want!" She smiled happily up at Troy, leaning up slightly and pressing a delicate kiss against his lips.

Suddenly the sound of the phone ringing blasted the couple back into reality.

Slowly and reluctantly Gabriella removed herself from Troy's arms and moved to pick up the phone, answering politely and waiting to find out who it was on the end of the line.

"_Gabriella it's mother, we are here in San Francisco and would like you to collect us from the airport." _The voice of Natalia Montez pounded into Gabriella's ears, forcing her to wince not only at the idea of their beautiful moment being broken but at the mood that her mother was so evidently in.

"That's really great mom but actually, Troy and I had plans today. You should have called us to say you were coming." Gabriella replied firmly, trying desperately not to allow her mother to force her into doing something she didn't want to do.

It wasn't that she didn't want to see her family, she really did, but she had been looking forward to spending the entire day with Troy uninterrupted and the apartment was anything less than ready to accept guests.

"_Well with that attitude I am tempted to just get on the next plane home to New York." _Natalia remarked harshly, snapping at her daughter for suggesting that she had better things to do than collect her waiting family from the airport.

Gabriella sighed, she loved her mother dearly but when she was in one of her moods she was the most difficult person in the world to handle.

"Mom, snap out of it would you! It's not like you gave us any notice that you were coming, how could you possibly expect us to just drop everything to come and collect you? But you know what, we will because I value my family and want to treat them with respect…maybe that's something you could look into!" Troy couldn't believe the words he was hearing from this usually tame girlfriend, he pulled her closer to his body offering her comfort but realized it was futile as she hung up the phone and threw it down onto the ground.

Troy wrapped his arms tightly around his girlfriend, rubbing his hand softly against her back offering her up as much comfort and support is possible.

"Everything alright Babe?" Troy asked, kissing her neck as he spoke and hoping that she would relax into his loving gestures.

Gabriella sighed, frustrated that once again her love for her mother was being tested by her mood swings and inappropriate behavior.

"Yeah I'm okay…I know we were going to spend the whole day together but she's at the airport and wants to stay…I'm so sorry!" Gabriella spoke fearfully that her words would make Troy angry, she knew he had made plans for the day and hoped that nothing had been ruined.

She knew that Troy would never hurt her but her past experienced still led her subconscious to be fearful in fragile and volatile situations.

"Ella, Beautiful…it's okay! All of the plans can be made for another day, I just wanted to celebrate you making a full incredible recovery but I can do that with you right here, we don't need to do anything. So come on, let's go pick up your mom before she blows her top." Troy spoke reassuringly, picking Gabriella up, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist and heading towards the door.

He sighed inwardly somewhat disappointed that he wouldn't have Gabriella alone but also relieved that despite her evident horrible mood Natalia had made the effort to visit.

He chuckled to himself as he slipped Gabriella off his waist and placed her gently into the car…maybe this visit from his one day future mother in law wouldn't be so bad.

~TG~

Troy and Gabriella strolled hand in hand through JFK airport, searching through the crowds for Natalia, Gianna and whoever else had decided to tag along on this impromptu visit.

They were nowhere to be seen and it was beginning to anger Gabriella that her mother had not situated herself somewhere that was easily detectable.

"Gabi!" A voice called over the crowds, forcing the couple to turn around in the direction of the sound.

Gabriella spotted a petite girl running towards her and a huge smile grew on her face. She hadn't seen Gianna since before her attack and despite speaking to her on the phone regularly being able to see her properly was incredible.

"I've missed you so much!" Gabriella spoke enthusiastically as she wrapped her arms around Gianna, realizing just how close she was to her sister and how difficult it was for them to be apart.

"Good job talking mom out of coming! You could have at least text me and warn me to expect visitors." Gabriella joked with her sister, bumping her shoulder jokingly as she watched their mother approach.

Gianna giggled, knowing that her sister was joking and relishing in the happiness that her sister currently possessed.

"I tried to convince her to call, but she felt that surprising you would let her see, and I quote, what kind of situation you are living in." Gabriella rolled her eyes at Gianna's revelation; her mother hadn't wanted to visit out of the kindness of her heart but actually wanted to accuse Troy of not taking proper care of her face to face.

"Gabriella, sweetheart!" Natalia approached and wrapped her arms around Gabriella, forcing her to wonder whether her ever changing moods were the result of a mental condition or whether she was simply just fickle.

Troy kept his arms tightly around the Gabriella's waist throughout, knowing that Natalia had already offended Gabriella once today and wanting nothing more than to ensure that Gabriella felt supported and loved.

"Hey mom, the car park is really expensive…shall we make a move?" Gabriella suggested, turning in Troy's arms in order to wrap her left hand tightly in his right.

Natalia nodded curtly, slipping back into her bad mood briefly as she followed her daughter towards the car…without the coffee she had been hoping would be offered.

"So Gabriella, how have you been?" Natalia asked, hoping that Gabriella would tell her life had been awful, but she knew deep down inside that would be far from the answer she would receive.

Gabriella smiled up at Troy, knowing that he had been the cause of life being so perfect over recent weeks. She didn't feel the need to answer her mother's question, knowing that she was simply fishing for gossip and motive to be cold and spiteful towards Troy.

She couldn't understand her mother's behavior, she knew that while she was in intensive care her mother had been nothing but warm towards Troy and her sudden change of attitude had given Gabriella whip lash.

"Are you planning to stay at the apartment mom? Because you know that I live with Troy now right? My old apartment has someone else living in it…there's a great hotel just a block away from us if you would rather stay there." Gabriella suggested, hoping that her mother would take her up on the offer of staying at a hotel rather than invading the beautiful serenity she and Troy had built at the apartment.

Natalia scoffed, assaulted that Gabriella would insinuate that she wanted to sleep in the small stuffy apartment that she shared with Troy. She had never been the woman to adapt to her surroundings, since divorcing her daughters' father and becoming successful with her own business she had changed dramatically into a woman who refused to be uncomfortable.

"Stay at your apartment? And what share a bed with Gianna? I don't think so; we already have a reservation for two rooms at the Four Seasons." Gabriella frowned at her mother's response; she adored her mother but was beginning to wonder just how she had been created by a woman so very different than herself.

She gripped tighter onto Troy's body, seeking the comfort that came from his arms to prevent her from screaming at her mother.

"Perfect," Gabriella commented through clenched teeth, loving that she would get to spend time with Troy alone but wishing that her mother wanted to spend more time with her than a comfortable hotel room.

As Troy pulled the car into the parking garage at the hotel Gabriella let out a sigh of relief, it pained her to feel that escaping from her mother was a good thing but the stress that had been forced on her for the last hour was excruciating.

"Well thank you for driving Troy, shall we all meet for brunch tomorrow at eleven? The hotel restaurant? See you then!" Natalia insisted, exciting the car and calling over the bell boy to collect the luggage from the back of Troy's car dutifully followed by a sullen looking Gianna who had hugged Gabriella tightly and whispered an apology in her ear.

As Troy and Gabriella watched Natalia and Gianna disappear into the hotel they both let out a long sigh of relief; Troy taking hold of Gabriella's hand as she leant across to rest her head in his lap, making sure she didn't hit her head in the steering wheel as she settled herself down comfortably.

"I am so sorry she acted like that, I promise I'll never turn into her." Gabriella spoke half seriously with humor laced through her words. She knew that Troy wouldn't have minded how her mother acted but it still forced her to reassure him that she would never act in such a way.

Troy chucked in response, leaning down and pressing a loving kiss to Gabriella's head before forcing her to sit and look into his eyes.

"I love you beautiful, crazy mother or not…you don't need to apologize. Home?" He asked smiling, pressing two delicate kisses to her soft lips before turning on the engine.

Gabriella smiled; she had never imagined she would ever be this happy.

"I love you too…let's go home."

~TG~

Night had fallen over San Francisco and it found Troy and Gabriella sitting cozily in their favorite oceanfront seafood restaurant.

The restaurant was designed like a boat shack, with wooden panels on the walls and various sailing and ocean artifacts hanging on the walls. It boasted the freshest seafood in San Francisco with many local fishermen supplying the restaurant.

This had been Troy's original plan for the evening, while it had been momentarily interrupted by Natalia Montez; the couple had been overjoyed when they realized they could still continue on their night as planned.

The couple tucking into their favorite meal of fried oysters, calamari and entrees of fresh crab risotto. They laughed together as they are their food, sharing occasional kisses as they snuggled together in their comfortable booth.

"You know, if you don't share this cheesecake with me I'll be too full to do anything later," Gabriella joked, hinting to Troy that perhaps she was ready for their relationship to take its next step.

He smiled, kissing her gently once again and grabbing the spoon he had used to eat his large slice of pecan tart.

"Well, I can't turn that offer down," Troy chuckled as she dug his spoon into Gabriella's cheesecake and ate took a huge spoonful.

Gabriella bit her lip, the evening had been perfect but she was desperate to return to the apartment.

As she watched Troy take the last bite of the cheesecake she signaled to the waiter that they were ready for the bill, preventing Troy from suggesting coffee and keeping them at the restaurant any longer.

"Someone's eager to get moving," Troy grinned, silently informing Gabriella that he had picked up on her subtle suggestions.

She smiled sweetly up at him, biting on the corner of her lip once again as she ran a hand down his arms and linked her hand with his.

"Well…I have been waiting all day." She spoke seductively as she accepted the receipt from the waiter and left a generous cash tip on the table.

The drive home was tense, neither Gabriella nor Troy spoke much nervous that a single word would be too much for either of them to handle and force Troy to pull over.

The rushed as quickly as they could up to the apartment, greeting the doorman cheerfully as the dashed past and into the awaiting elevator.

"Why have I never noticed how slow this thing is? Can it not go any faster!" Gabriella huffed, moving from bouncing from foot to foot as if she was desperate to pee but her desperation was for a very different need.

Troy chuckled at his girlfriend, he had never seen her like this before and wondered if she had been this adorable with past boyfriends or whether this was especially for him.

"You're just too cute!" Troy commented, wrapping his arms around Gabriella as the elevator door pinged open and lifting her off her feet to wrap her legs around his waist.

She raised an eyebrow at his words, not fazed by his actions as he pressed a slow loving kiss against her lips.

"Cute?" Gabriella asked, tickled by his comment but unsure which of her actions had been anywhere near cute.

Troy smiled, feeling his arousal grow against his boxers as she wiggled against his to get comfortable on his hip, kissing his neck as she settled her head onto his shoulder.

"You bouncing around in the elevator desperate to get home…that's what's cute." Troy chuckled, listening to Gabriella scoff against his neck at his words.

"Yeah well…you have no idea how long I've been wanting this, if you make me wait any longer I might just cry." Gabriella joked as Troy unlocked the apartment door, threw it open with his foot and kicking it closed again haphazardly.

No more words were needed between them as they moved towards the bedroom. They had waited months for this moment, if not years, and there was no way it was going to be ruined by words now.

Troy placed Gabriella down gently against their bed, leaning over her and kissing her passionately as he began to move his hands against the smooth skin of her abdomen.

While they had silently agreed to wait and not rush their relationship it wasn't just that that had kept them from sleeping together sooner. Troy had been afraid; he had worried that he would hurt her or damage her in some way while she was fragile and still recovering from her goliath ordeal. They had talked about waiting and he was begged her to allow them to wait until the doctor had given her the all clear before they made their relationship truly physical, it was a request that Gabriella reluctantly agreed to.

This didn't mean that their relationship hadn't become more physical. Since Christmas their showers had been taken intimately, the previous ritual of showering in bathing suits and boxers was abandoned in favor of being able to share a few precious moments together completely exposed to each other.

"Are you really sure about this?" Troy asked, fearful that his action would be pushing Gabriella into an encounter that she wasn't truly ready for.

Gabriella frowned, she was sure she had given Troy plenty of signals throughout the evening that would show him just how ready she was but obviously her signals had been lacking.

"I've dreamt of this moment for so long Troy, even before we were together and I was stuck with Seth all I wanted was to have this moment with you." Gabriella's words were reassurance enough for Troy, he loved her and he was determined to make this moment the most incredible that she had ever experienced.

Kisses began to become more passionate, more desperate yet still remained loving as Troy's hands moved up Gabriella's body and cupped her bra clad breasts.

This was an area that Troy was more than familiar with, he adored Gabriella's breasts and spent a lot of time in the last eight weeks touching, kissing and appreciating them.

Gabriella had always had issues with oral sex, there was something about it that made her cringe inside and Troy being the loving boyfriend that he was accepted this and had never once even suggested that they take part in activities of that nature. As a guy he had needs that he would love to be fulfilled but his need to be with Gabriella was far stronger and he was sure that once their relationship had become sexual, those needs would be more than satisfied by sleeping with her.

He lifted Gabriella's dress over her head, pulling his shirt off at the same time and reaching behind Gabriella's back to unhook her bra. As he pulled the straps down her arms and slipped it from her body he took a few moments to appreciate the goddess that lay beneath him. He couldn't believe quite how lucky he had been to fall in love with a girl like her.

Gabriella smiled; she too was appreciating the body that lay flush with hers. She had always know Troy was hot but being able to see his incredibly sculpted god like form so intimately caused her body to tingle.

"We are far too over dressed," Gabriella commented as she flipped them over so that she was on top and trailed her hands down Troy's chest; hooking her fingers through the waistband of his dress pants and boxers and removing them together swiftly.

She looked down at his hard arousal, grinning at how hard he had become in just a few minutes of physical contact.

He groaned loudly as her soft hands grasped his length, moving them up and down slowly and teasing his erection to grow even further.

He was by far the biggest she had ever seen; she had seen it before in its erect state but somehow the knowledge that they would finally be united had forced it to expand even further.

"Babe…if we don't do this soon I'm not going to be able to hold on and it's all going to be ruined." Troy groaned out his words as a feeling of warmth gushed over his body.

Gabriella smiled once again, allowing Troy to pull himself back on top and removing her purple lace panties before inserting his index finger into her warmth to ensure that she too was as aroused as he was.

"Well we can't have that can we…you best make your move." She whispered seductively, kissing his lips lovingly before wrapping her arms around his neck and rubbing their pelvises together.

Troy moaned with pleasure, reaching over towards the night stand draw and pulling out a green foiled package before moving himself back over Gabriella.

As he began to unwrap the condom Gabriella grasped hold of his hands and stopped him.

"Don't, I'm on the pill and I always take it on time. I want to feel you properly Troy." Troy's eyes widened at her words, his dream coming true as he imagined just how incredible the next few minutes would really be.

He looked deep into her eyes as he aligned himself with her entrance, seeking out her smile to reassure him that she really wanted this moment to happen.

He didn't have to wait long, her lips curved into a small smile as her hand cupped his cheek as she whispered how much she loved him.

He entered her slowly, relishing in the feeling of her warm tight walls gripping onto his erection with desire.

"Oh god!" Gabriella whispered, having no idea that it would ever be this good. She had had plenty of boyfriends in the past, most during high school, but none of them had evoked feelings within her like she was feeling as Troy moved in and out of her warmth.

"I love you," Troy whispered as the feelings within him started to make his vision blur. The feelings only increased as Gabriella wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, pushing him deeper into her body than he ever imagined he would be able to go.

As their arousals erupted within Troy fell breathless onto Gabriella's body, kissing the spot where his face had landed.

Neither were sure what to say, the love they had for each other had suddenly grown immeasurably and the overwhelming feelings of love, closeness and pleasure forced tears into Gabriella's eyes.

But she refused to let them fall; she snuggled deeper into Troy's body, not caring that's he was hot and sweaty but just desperately needing to be close to him.

"That was incredible; we have to do that again!" Gabriella giggled, lightening the moment with her words of desire and pointing out to Troy that as soon as he had recovered they would absolutely be doing that again.

Troy smiled, not caring about anything around him than the girl that was snuggled naked into his arms.

He was sure right then that his life was perfect and he was determined that no one would ever take that away from him.

~TG~

The next morning was leisurely, knowing that they did not have to leave the house until ten thirty meant that they could lounge in bed together still savoring the pleasurable moments of the night before.

Troy had awoken at seven, slipping slowly from the bed and heading into the kitchen to make Gabriella breakfast in bed.

When he returned Gabriella was sitting up in bed, the sheet wrapped tightly around her naked chest as she rested on her elbows. She smiled up at him cheekily as he set down the fresh fruit, baked goods and coffee that he had brought in for breakfast.

"Do we really have to go for brunch today? I can think of so many things I'd rather do." She commented cheekily, pulling Troy's body into hers as he settled himself onto the bed.

Troy groaned as he felt Gabriella's body pull flush against his, her soft breasts pressing against his toned abdomen as she pressed kisses to his chest.

"Your mom would not be impressed if we skipped it and Gianna would clue in right away. How about we take a shower?" Troy suggested, hoping that he was offering up a compromise between staying in bed all day making love and heading out for brunch with Gabriella's mother and sister.

Gabriella smiled once again, pressing a gently kiss to his lips before leaping up from the bed and dashing into the en-suite bathroom.

"I'll race you!"

Forty minutes later Troy and Gabriella emerged from the bathroom, basking in the afterglow of shower sex as they gathered their clothes together for the day ahead of them.

"Troy come on we're about to be really late!" Gabriella called from the living room, pulling on her shoes and gathering the bits and pieces to put in her purse.

A heavy thud alerted to her that the mailman had dropped their mail through their box; quickly she abandoned throwing things into her purse to see what potentially exciting things the mailman could have brought.

Utilities bills…Troy's cell phone bill…credit card bill…rent received receipt…High desert state prison.

She flicked through the envelopes not really paying attention but as she flicked passed the final envelope she stopped and flicked back, making very sure she hadn't imagined the words she had read.

She hadn't been wrong.

"Troy!" she called loudly, panicked by the letter that she was holding tightly in her hands, unsure whether she should screw it up and destroy it forever or whether she should open it and discover its contents.

"I'm almost ready Babe, I'll literally be two seconds." Troy called back; unaware of the happenings occurring in the hallway of the apartment he shared with Gabriella.

As he emerged from their bedroom and approached Gabriella he was unsure of what she was doing. She was stood still; face blank and not blinking as she held on tightly to the mail.

"Beautiful? Are you okay?" Troy asked, putting a comforting hand on Gabriella's shoulder.

Wordlessly she handed him the envelope, putting all of the other mail down on the hall table and giving her undivided focus to the mail that was how in Troy's protective hands.

"Is this what I think it is?" He asked nervously, hoping that his mind was wrong and that the letter he was holding hadn't come from the man who had attempted to kill the love of his life.

Gabriella just shrugged, too scared of what she might say if she allowed any words to leave her mouth. She looked at Troy longingly, hoping that he would pick up on her silent signals to open up the envelope and protect her from any unwanted words.

Troy's fingers ripped open the letter, angered that Seth would even consider reentering their lives by writing to them and forcing Gabriella to relive the horrific attack he inflicted upon her.

He read the words first, considering whether to throw it away without even reading it to Gabriella if the words were too horrible but his mind was pleasantly surprised by what he read.

He began to read aloud.

_Gabriella, _

_I know I am the last person you want to be hearing from right now but I just needed to write this letter to allow me to continue the process of becoming a better person. I wanted to thank you and Troy for doing the right thing and sending me to jail before I could hurt anybody else as I have planned. I know I have hurt you and Troy in ways that can never be forgiven but I hope that one day you will find it in your heart to forgive me for everything I have done to you. Since I began the long life of jail I have ahead of me I have turned to religion to help me through, the priest has forgiven me for my sins and I hope that you too will one day be able to do the same. _

_You won't be hearing from me again I can promise you that._

_I can't say sorry enough and I can't express how relieved I am that you have someone as good for you as Troy to take care of you. _

_I wish you all the best for the vibrant and exciting future I know you have ahead of you. _

_Seth Keres._

It took Gabriella several seconds to digest the words that Troy had spoken, she was still unsure whether she could trust the words that had been written on the paper but she hoped for Seth's sake that they were sincere.

"Well…that's one way to kill the mood." Gabriella joked, hoping to lighten the situation and move off the topic of the man that had brutally attacked her.

Troy dropped the letter and wrapped his arms tightly around Gabriella's vulnerable body, closing his eyes as the memories of her unconscious, beaten and not breathing filled his mind.

"Let's just get rid of the letter, go to brunch to satisfy your mom and then come home and just be together." Troy whispered, desperately needing to hold Gabriella's body to his to fight off the images that still haunted him.

Gabriella nodded against Troy's chest, acknowledging that the arrival of the letter had shaken him up more than it had her.

They exited the apartment silently, throwing the letter down the waste shoot as they made their way towards the stairs.

It took just eight minutes for the couple to arrive at the Four Seasons hotel. They hoped that Natalia wasn't too angered by their slightly late arrival but had thought of an excuse to pacify her should she show any signs of being in one of her bad moods.

They walked hand in hand into the restaurant area, immediately spotting Natalia and Gianna sat at a round table waiting patiently for their guests to arrive.

"Gabriella Darling!" Natalia called, getting up from her chair and embracing Gabriella tightly, Gabriella frowned at her younger sister silently asking what on earth was going on but only receiving a shrug in reply. "It's so wonderful that you could make it this morning, why don't you both take a seat." She continued, offering Troy and Gabriella seats next to each other and handing them the elaborate menus.

They ordered their food swiftly, needing no time to consider what delights they would be sampling from the menu having eaten brunch in the restaurant several times before.

"So Gabriella I've been thinking, NYU have a fantastic law program and there are so many more jobs in New York than there are here in California these days, I would really recommend that you return with me to New York to finish your schooling." Natalia suggested, talking as if her words would have little effect of her eldest daughter.

Gabriella slammed her glass of juice down on the table, not caring that she had making somewhat of a scene in a restaurant full to the brim with business men and well of clientele.

"I am happy here mom can't you see that! I live in an incredible apartment with a guy that I love and who loves more than I've ever been loved before and on top of all of that I love my school. The last place I want to be going is New York. If you can't accept that then I'm sorry but we'll have to leave and ask you not to contact us until you have accept my life decisions!" Gabriella spoke forcefully, grasping hold of Troy's hand under the table seeking out support for the harsh words she had just spoken to her mother.

Natalia Montez looked on perplexed; shocked that Gabriella would suggest she make no contact with her unless she accepted her decision to spend her life with Troy in San Francisco.

"Very well, if that's what you want. I know that Troy will look after you so I suppose you have my blessing to remain here with him in California." Gabriella smiled at her mother's words, delighted that perhaps she had finally accepted that she would never be moving back to New York.

"Thanks mom, you know you're welcome to come and visit whenever you want right? We'd really loved for you to stay at the apartment with us next time." Gabriella suggested, hoping that her mother would finally see how happy she was and put aside her beliefs and prejudges and stay with them at the beautiful apartment they shared.

Natalia Montez smiled at her beaming daughter, feeling the warmth of happiness run through her body as she nodded genuinely.

Maybe…just maybe life really would be perfect.

**Okay this turned out way longer than I thought it would haha! I hope you enjoyed it; I'm relieved I can finally write Troy and Gabriella as I love to write them! **

**I'm really struggling with the epilogue and I was hoping for your help. If you could review or PM me things you would like to see within the epilogue that would be incredibly helpful! **


	8. Wonderful World

**Welcome to chapter 8! I know I'm a terrible person and haven't updated for ages but I have struggled with the epilogue which is the next and final chapter. I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar errors! I hope you enjoy!**

~TG~

_~ We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. ~ _Jawaharlal Nehru

~TG~

Gabriella hated flying, there was nothing more unnatural to her that sitting in a huge metal box surrounded by hundreds of other people suspended thousands of feet up in the air.

One hand gripped tightly onto the armrest and the other held tightly onto Troy's hand as the plane began to make its descent towards the runway.

"Ella, Baby, its fine. What's the worst that can happen?" Troy asked, releasing his hand from Gabriella's death grip and wrapping his arms tightly around her to pull her head against his chest protectively.

Gabriella scoffed, not believing that Troy would make such a comment as they began to move into the most dangerous part of the entire plane journey.

"Don't even go there Troy, so much can go wrong now and we could all die! Just let me shut my eyes and pray for it to be over soon!" Gabriella snapped harshly yet still burying her head tightly into his grasp as she spoke.

Troy chuckled, he loved this side of his girlfriend and the fact that he didn't get to see it very often made it even more of a turn on.

Three days after Gabriella's mother and sister returned to New York following the surprise visit, Troy had surprised Gabriella with a present…a small envelope that had only a few words written across it.

'_Because you're incredible and I love you.'_

Gabriella had been curious; she had looked up at Troy nervously as she opened up the envelope and carefully pulled out its contents.

Inside had been two plane tickets, two plane one way plane tickets from Honolulu, Hawaii to San Francisco. It just so happened that during the vacation planning, Troy's boss had asked him to accompany an experienced crew to deliver a very expensive yacht to a client in Hawaii. It had worked out perfectly, two weeks chilling out of a boat with a full crew and two full weeks alone in Hawaii. It was a vacation that Troy had planned carefully, ensuring that everything they did would facilitate forgetting all about the stresses of the previous twelve months and allowing them to focus solely on them and the relationship they had formed just three months prior.

It felt like a lifetime, three months didn't seem like enough time to accomplish all of the things they had done but somehow they had made three months feel as if it had been a lifetime.

Neither could remember what life had been like before Gabriella's attack, before they shared intimate moments together and before they were able to openly confess their love for each other whenever they so felt the need.

The planes wheels touched down on the runway, bouncing several times before the pull of the breaks forced Gabriella back against her seat. She was relieved that it was finally over; they had landed safely and were finally home after the vacation of a lifetime.

Gabriella had been relieved that she had not suffered her usual seasickness, she had been so determined to relax and spent the two weeks sailing topping up her tan on deck that all thoughts of nausea had been pushed from her mind.

Troy had laughed at her comment when he questioned her ability to gain sea legs; she had looked him up and down with a smirk on her face before looking up at the stunning luxury yacht that was awaiting their boarding.

'Baby, on a boat like that…who needs legs!' with that, she dashed aboard, quickly making herself comfortable amongst the plush furnishings.

The journey to Honolulu had been incredible, just the two of them, the very discrete crew and endless miles of open ocean.

Their cabin was stunning, just like that of a bedroom that would be found in a world class five star hotel. Their bed was what could only be described as huge, the en-suite bathroom came equip with a big enough for two Jacuzzi bath.

They couldn't have been more appreciative of the alone time that the open ocean provided them. While in the city their friends and family had been calling, visiting and suggesting events that Troy and Gabriella should attend. Like Troy's desperate need to be alone with Gabriella, such interruptions from friends and family had only increased since Gabriella's accident.

Once in Hawaii the remaining two weeks of their vacation was spent relaxing on the beach, swimming with dolphins, shopping and savoring the sweet moments that they spent together.

As Troy took hold of Gabriella's hand to guide her through the masses of people surrounding them at San Francisco airport, she thought back to one moment that would stay in her mind forever.

_Gabriella smiled as she opened her eyes to the world around her. The sun was just beginning to set in the skies over Honolulu and the sweet smell of Troy was surrounding her. _

_She loved the feeling that sleeping with Troy gave her, she had slept with several guys before but none of them ever made her feel the way Troy did. The difference? Troy had developed the habit of falling asleep on top of her, leaving himself inside her as he dozed. She loved the feeling of being so intimately connected to him, without the intensity of love making. _

_She thought back to the times she had shared such moments with other men. Her first time had been with a guy in High School whom she was sure she was in love with but soon after she had slept with him for the first time she realized his rough love making was not what she wanted from life. _

_Seth had been well, Seth and had never been anywhere near as soft and gentle as Troy. All of the other guys seemed to just blur into one as she looked into Troy's sleeping face. _

_She was happy, happier than she had ever been before and she knew it had everything to do with Troy. _

"What are you smiling at cheeky?" Troy asked, watching a blush grace Gabriella's smooth cheeks as she bit her lip bashfully.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, not caring that they were partially blocking the walk way, and snuggled her head into his chest.

"Just thinking about how much I love you,"she whispered, leaning up and kissing his lips gently before beginning to move along the long walkway once again.

It was good to be home.

~TG~

It was first thing in the morning that appeared to be the time Gabriella used to reflect on everything that had happened in her life.

She rolled over gently, carefully removing Troy's herculean grip on her waist, wriggled to the edge of the bed as she sighed thoughtfully.

Her life had been anything other than easy; it had started blissfully but quickly took many turns for the worst. Everything had been out of her control and since her accident rather than using those experiences as points for depression; she used them as points that had helped her become who she was.

It was the times she had had control over that haunted her the most. The times, during which she could have made better decisions, where she could have taken a different road that would have prevented her from encountering more hardships down the road.

_Twenty year old Gabriella Montez walked into the coffee shop she had called work since arriving in California. Today felt no different than any other day, other than the fact that there was a tall handsome stranger stood leaning against the counter. _

_She was sure she had never seen him before, which was unusual considering many of her customers came into the shop every morning for the daily fix of morning caffeine. _

"_Can I help you?" Gabriella asked politely as she made her way behind the counter and smiling brightly at the stranger before her. _

_The man grinned before moving to lean further across the counter and towards Gabriella, winking at her as he watched her become a little uncomfortable._

"_I was hoping to ask you on a date," he stated as Gabriella chuckled shaking her head. She couldn't believe the cockiness of some people thinking its appropriate to suggest such a thing. _

"_I don't even know you," Gabriella stated politely, turning around to flick on the coffee machine ready for the rush of customers that would flood in just a few minutes later. _

_The man grinned again; enjoying the chase that Gabriella was putting up…he had always liked a challenge. _

"_Isn't that what first dates are for? To get to know people?" He asked, using a line that he had used many times before on such occasions and knowing that it worked without fail. _

_Gabriella smiled and blushed, biting the side of her lip bashfully as she giggled. _

"_Alright, one date! But you have to promise you aren't some crazy psycho who's going to take me on a date and then kill me." She joked, feeling slightly uneasy about agreeing to a date with a complete stranger but hoping to lighten the air. _

"_Of course not, I'm Seth by the way." He reached out his hand to take hold of hers, brought it to his lips and kissed it gently. _

"_Gabriella."_

~TG~

She laughed at the irony of the statement that had once been a joke but that had turned into a cruel reality. She couldn't help but wonder whether she had put the idea in his head to start with.

She couldn't even begin to compare Seth with Troy, not only were their personalities completely different, their ideas of respect and love were polar opposites.

She thought she knew what it was like to be loved, respected and cared for but until she had finally let Troy into her life the way they both wanted, she realized she had had no idea what those words really meant.

Troy had proved that he was faithful, both in their relationship and everything else that came with it. If she ever needed him, she had no doubt that he would be there in a second and wouldn't leave until he knew that she was going to be more than okay.

_It was terrifying moving to a new place so when Summer had suggested she attend a house party hosted by one of the guys in her sociology class, Gabriella felt like she had nothing to lose. There was the huge possibility of making new friends and only a slim chance that anything bad could occur. _

_She had never been a risk taker, but after carefully weighing up her options she decided that she would just go and if she hated it she could leave but without going she would never ever know whether she would have enjoyed it. _

_Summer had brought over a selection of dresses for Gabriella to try on, none of them made her feel particularly comfortable but as she stepped into a tight silver dress and looked at herself in the mirror she knew it was the one. _

_Her slim-line figure was accentuated and the delicate silver of the fabric complemented her skin tone perfectly. _

_They stepped into the lively house at just before nine pm, the music was loud and almost everyone around them was severely intoxicated…it wasn't a situation that Gabriella felt at all comfortable in. _

_After about fifteen minutes she found herself alone, Summer had run off to dance with a guy from the football team, so she was stood in the corner observing the goings on from a safe distance. _

_Soon, she felt a tap on her shoulder. _

"_Needs some company?" The male voice asked in a warm and kind tone, one that settled Gabriella's nerves and almost desperate need to escape the situation. _

_She smiled politely; very conscious of the scenarios in her mind of all of the terrible things that can happen when you speak to strangers at parties. _

"_No thank you," she replied, wishing her answer could have been different but knowing that at eighteen years old and in a brand new city she was more than vulnerable. _

"_There's a guy over there and he's had his eyes on you all night, I even heard him talking to his buddies about thinking he could get you to sleep with him…still sure you don't want some company? Just friendly company away from all of the craziness?" The stranger spoke again, stepping back from Gabriella slightly so as not to make her feel threatened by his forwardness. _

"_Wow…that's…not something I expected to hear. On second thoughts, company sounds amazing. I'm Gabriella, it's really nice to meet you." She smiled up at him, taking in the gorgeous blue eyes stared down at her. _

_The man smiled back, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her towards the exit into the quiet empty backyard. _

"_Troy Bolton, it's more than nice to meet you too." _

~TG~

He had always been there for her, right from the very second they had met he was protecting her. Every minute of every day that they spent together had been filled with love and she was kicking herself for only realizing it now.

She couldn't think of a single moment in their friendship that they had fought or even exchanged harsh words. Despite having opposing opinions and sharing moments that would have sparked a fight between any normal friends; they just seemed to coast through life accepting each other's thoughts, feelings and emotions.

It amazed Gabriella that, with Troy, she never felt like she had to apologize for herself. Growing up she had watched her mother and father engage in screaming matches that often ended with one apologizing for having an opinion and Gabriella had just assumed that that was the way it was. It wasn't until she had allowed herself to fall in love with Troy, that she realized that love needs no apology.

As she looked back at the many days that she and Troy had shared together, it became more than evident that there were several that she had completely ruined.

Never once had Troy complained.

_Troy had it all planned, ever since he had spotted the school of dolphins just off the coast he had been desperate to take Gabriella out for a closer look. _

_He knew that she had never been on a boat like this one; it was a cry from sailing in a speedboat in a super calm lake. This boat was fairly old, beginning to become warn down and was used twice daily to take tourists on tours of San Francisco bay…definitely not such calm waters. _

_The sun was just beginning to set as they stepped onto the boat, Gabriella making herself comfortable in the warm cabin as Troy took the seat beside her and started up the engine. _

_She had to admit, the scenery was stunning, the food Troy had brought to eat was delicious and the excitement building within her for seeing the dolphins was incredible…the nausea at the pit of her stomach however, was none of those things. _

_She took a few deep breaths in, hoping that the rough April waves would settle and allow her stomach to calm itself. _

_Troy frowned at Gabriella's uneasiness, he knew she was excited and he knew she was having a good time but she couldn't hide the fact that her facial features had turned a horrible shade green shade of grey. _

"_Are you okay?" Troy asked gently, slowing the boat to a stop at their destination and allowing it to float gently with the waves. _

_He looked at Gabriella's face closely and could see she was desperately trying to hide the fact she was feeling unwell, but Troy had seen it in his passengers many times before. _

"_Just a little bit sick…" Gabriella replied, moving closer to Troy and wrapping her arms around him, seeking out the comfort she knew she would find in his arms. _

_Troy sighed, he was mad at himself for bringing her somewhere that made her sick but he couldn't help but he thankful that it allowed him to get this close to her. It was a shame his idea for her twentieth birthday was not totally out of the question. _

"_Just a little bit?" Troy asked, knowing that it would only be a few more minutes until Gabriella was actually sick and hoped that soon after that she would feel better. _

_She screwed up her face, knowing what was coming but definitely pushing it to the back of her mind. _

"_Okay, maybe a lot." With that she emptied the contents of her stomach in the bucket Troy stored in the cabin in case of such emergencies. _

_He wasn't mad, he was even a little bit annoyed, all he did was look down at her smiling and rubbing her back and sinking into the feeling of knowing that in that very moment she was the only person he needed. _

_~TG~_

Gabriella smiled and giggled softly to herself, she couldn't believe that that adventure had gone so horribly wrong yet it had been one of the best days that she and Troy had ever shared.

It still amazed her that he had devoted the last ten months to taking care of her, not only did he put his career on hold he put his whole life on hold to look after her and make sure that she never came to any harm again.

Laying unconscious in Intensive Care had been a terrifying experience, even while heavily sedated, and sensing that Troy was by her side somehow eased the fear that build within her.

_Darkness had overcome her and all she could feel was the pounding in her head and the hard plastic tube that sat in her throat. She had tried to open her eyes but it felt as though they were glued shut, the tiredness she was feeling sitting on her shoulders like a huge weight. _

_Suddenly flashes of red light filled her vision. _

_Every nightmare she had ever experienced flashed before her eyes. _

_She was being chased, running as quickly as she could for her life as she turned around quickly, checking behind her to see if she had gained a lead of her attacker. _

_Suddenly she was falling, she screamed loudly as the ground beneath her sunk away and she continued to fall with no sign that it would ever end. _

_Everything she had ever been scared of shot past her as she continued to fall; images of huge spiders, lightening and loud thunder crashes filled her ears. _

_She fought to wake up, desperately trying to push away the horrible images but all she could do was let them haunt her and she screamed inside. _

It had taken her a long time to recover from the recurrent nightmares she had experienced. Her therapist had worked hard to help her push them from her mind, but once again it had been Troy that had saved her.

He held her as she recalled the horrors that she had faced, rubbed her back as she cried and kissed her forehead delicately as she awoke screaming.

She couldn't begin to list all of the incredible things Troy had done for her since her attack. He helped her with every aspect of her life until he was completely sure that she could manage alone.

Even the most basic of tasks had been a struggle at the beginning, but nothing phased Troy and no matter what she needed it was never too much trouble.

One particular moment stood out in Gabriella's mind, it was a moment that made her realize Troy had been honest when he said he would do anything for her.

_It had been an exhausting day, more than exhausting in fact. Having been up half the night restless and uncomfortable, Gabriella spent her day going from appointment to appointment at the hospital for her regular checkups. _

_There had been scans, consultations, more scans, physiotherapy sessions, blood tests and more and Gabriella was completely worn out. _

_As Troy walked through the apartment door after a busy day at work, he spotted Gabriella flat out on the couch with her duvet watching television. He knew something much be wrong, she had been so energetic recently and had been desperate to keep herself moving. _

"_Are you alright Beautiful?" He asked as he approached the couch, kissing Gabriella on the forehead gently as he took hold of her hands and pulled her into a sitting position._

_Gabriella sighed as she snuggled into Troy's body, taking in the warmth and comfort that she provided and allowing her aching exhausted muscles to relax. _

"_I'm just so exhausted…I took a little walk this morning and when I came home I wanted to take a bath but it just seemed like way too much effort to get into it. I think I'll just have to take a nap and then take a shower." Gabriella's body relaxed further into Troy's, allowing the feelings of pleasure and relaxation to wash over her as Troy's hands rubbed her back soothingly. _

"_I'll run you a bath, I'll help you get in it and then you can relax. Does that sound okay?" He asked, placing Gabriella's limp body back down onto the couch and once again kissing her forehead softly. _

_Gabriella nodded, smiling at Troy's thoughtfulness. She had stopped being embarrassed when he helped her with stuff like this, at first she had been shy and fearful of what he would think but once he had seen it all and showed his restraint and self control, it only proved further how much he cared for and respect Gabriella. _

"_Okay Beautiful, your bath is all run and ready for you. I even put bubbles in." Troy spoke softly as he picked up Gabriella's tired body from the couch, still desperately concerned that her constant tiredness was a sign that something was terribly wrong. _

_Gabriella kicked herself inside for having not told Troy how she really felt, she knew she was doing the right thing in waiting and sorting through her problems but the idea of having him really love her through this made her skin tingle. _

_Troy placed her feet down gently on the bathroom floor, taking care to put her down on the soft warm bathmat rather than the cold hard floor. Slowly he began to help her remove her clothes, nervous that he would show how much he really wanted her. _

_They had started off showering and taking baths in bathing suits, Gabriella shy of revealing her body to Troy and Troy anxious to respect Gabriella in every way that he could. But after a week of the laborious task of putting on, taking off and drying bathing suits after showers, Gabriella decided that she didn't care anymore. _

_Troy was her best friend and she was sure would eventually be her boyfriend, if she couldn't show herself to him now in her most desperate time of need then when could she?_

_As Troy lowered Gabriella down into the water her aching muscles relaxed and the weight that seemed to sit on her shoulders was lifted. Troy began to leave the room as Gabriella sunk further into the water, closing her eyes as she relaxed even further. _

"_Don't leave me." Gabriella whispered as Troy approached the door, he stopped in his tracks and turn back to her, unsure whether to give her some privacy or do as she had asked and stay with her. _

_Slowly he moved back towards the bathtub, stripping off his clothes down to his boxers and stepping into the bath behind Gabriella, allowing her to sink into his protective embrace under the relaxing warm water._

"_Why'd you keep your boxers on? I'm naked, I don't care if you are." Gabriella giggled as she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of being so close to Troy. _

_Troy chuckled and pressed a kiss to the back of Gabriella's head, despite the fact that they weren't yet together, he had already had a taste of how incredible it would be and he knew that the feelings he was feeling now would only increase. _

"_This right now is all about you; I want you to be comfortable and relaxed. Not worrying about whether I'm getting worked up, everything is all about you." He spoke softly, pressing a second kiss gently to the back of her neck, smiling as she sighed softly. _

_Gabriella smiled again, wrapping Troy's arms tightly around her naked waist and sinking deeper against his body. _

_He was a special man and she was going to do everything she could to keep him in her life. _

~TG~

They had come such a long way since before her attack, they had gone from being the best of friends to being in a relationship that was more loving than Gabriella could ever have imagined.

"What's got you thinking so hard Beautiful?" Troy asked as he awoke, pulling Gabriella's naked body towards his and back into his arms where she had been when he fell asleep.

They had always been cuddly, even when they were just best friends they had always enjoyed snuggled up under the warm duvet and watching a movie, but now it was even better. Being in each other's arms, knowing the other was totally safe and secure strengthened their relationship by immeasurable amounts.

"I'm just thinking about the past, you know…everything that's happened." Gabriella replied, turning herself over to face Troy and snuggly deep into his arm chest.

Troy frowned, he wasn't sure whether Gabriella thinking about the past was a good thing or not, the complacent blank look on her face didn't help him in discovering her feelings.

"Good thinking or bad thinking?" He asked, kissing her forehead and hoping that her reply would be a good one.

Gabriella smiled; there was her loving protective Troy once again worrying whether she was happy and content with the life she was living.

"Definitely definitely good, I was thinking about you and how amazing you are and all the incredible things you have done for me. Just generally thinking about how much I love you." Gabriella bit the side of her lip bashfully as Troy looked down at her with a huge grin on his face.

She knew he loved to hear those words. He had waited so long keeping his feelings to himself, Gabriella made her it life aim to tell him as often as possible exactly how she felt about him.

"I love you too Beautiful, more than I'll ever be able to explain in words." He whispered against her soft lips, kissing the gently as he finished declaring his love for her.

If the future felt as good as this, then Gabriella was sure it would be more amazing than anything she had experienced in life so far.

They say you should never wish your life away, but Gabriella wanted nothing more than to start living the beautiful future she knew was coming.

**Kind of sad that it's sort of over. This is the last chapter chapter, all that's left is the epilogue =(. I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has read and let me know that they are enjoying it! Love you all! **


	9. Epilogue

**Sooo final chapter ever! Thank you so much for reading this and sharing with me your opinions. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it!**

~TG~

'_Happiness is not having what you want; it's wanting what you have.' _~Anonymous

~TG~

Twenty eight year old Gabriella Bolton realized that a lot can change in six years. Not only had she graduated college and taken up an incredible position at an amazing law firm, but she had also got married to her dream guy and moved into an incredible home.

The house was large and was the kind of house every little girl dreamt of owning. The large white building had cornflower blue shutters at the windows, a white picket fence around the front yard and a large backyard that was totally private thanks to the large trees that surrounded it.

She smiled proudly to herself as she sat on the comfortable swing seat on the veranda, looking on at the scene before her and not believing that it was actually real.

Her amazing husband of four years, Troy, was playing in their large pool with their three year old daughter Maisie Abigail Bolton.

Troy completely doted on Maisie, Gabriella was sure that he would spend every second of everyday with the tiny little girl if he could. Maisie had been a tiny baby, born four weeks premature she was always going to be one of the smallest, but that only seemed to make Troy love her even more. She had looked so fragile and so delicate as she lay snuggled into Gabriella's arms and from that very moment, just as he had with Gabriella six year earlier, he decided nothing and nobody would ever be able to hurt her.

Maisie was a mirror image of Gabriella, every single part of her was Gabriella. Her big brown eyes, her tanned skin, her features and even her light up any room smile had undoubtedly been handed to her by her mother.

The little girl screamed and laughed happily as Troy lifted her up high in the air and let her fall back down into the warm water, making sure he had a tight grip on her as she splashed back down into the water.

"Again! Again Daddy!" She screeched as Troy repeated the action, relishing in the sound of his daughters laughter as it filled the air.

Troy chuckled exhausted and pulled his daughter protectively into his arms, lifting her up onto the side of the pool as he heaved himself out of the water.

He couldn't believe how his life had turned out, he was married to the girl of his dreams, lived in a stunning house in a beautiful San Francisco suburb and had a incredibly beautiful daughter. He looked back six years and shuddered as he remembered the feeling he felt as Gabriella lay helpless in the ICU, he had wondered if he would ever be able to have the life he has now and that only made her more thankful for everyday he spent with his girls.

"What are you smiling at?" He asked Gabriella as he approached the veranda, sat down on the swing seat and pulled his wife into his arms.

Gabriella giggled and wrapped her arms around him, enjoying the feeling of being in his protective embrace.

"Well, I was smiling because you're an incredible father and I still can't believe how much I love you." Gabriella smiled at her answer, satisfied that it had put across the immense emotion she was feeling right at that moment.

Troy smiled down at Gabriella, closing his eyes and breathing in the sweet scent that was a combination of her shampoo, moisturizer and sun cream.

"I love you too Beautiful, and you know what…I love you too!" Gabriella giggled as Troy lent down and kissed Gabriella's rapidly expanding stomach.

Seven months ago Gabriella had excited announced to Troy that she was pregnant, the couple hadn't been trying but had decided when Maisie had turned two that they would just enjoy themselves and if it happened it happened. Troy had been ecstatic at the news, picking Gabriella up and spinning her around in circle as he told her how much he loved her.

They hoped this pregnancy would be smoother than their last; Gabriella had really suffered while she was carrying Maisie and she had held out as long as she possibly could before doctors decided it would be safer to deliver Maisie by c-section four weeks early.

So far the pregnancy had been perfect, Gabriella had suffered minimal morning sickness, she had plenty of energy and hadn't fainted like she did multiple times while pregnant with Maisie.

All of Gabriella's pre-natal scans had shown the baby was developing really well and set to be perfectly healthy. At their last scan Troy and Gabriella had discovered that they would be having another girl, Gabriella couldn't say she was surprised she had had a gut feeling that the baby would be girl.

Troy had been more than excited at the news; his already perfectly family would now be even more perfect with three girls to brighten his days.

They had worked hard to find a name for their new baby girl; it had been one of the few things that they disagreed. The one decision that they had completely agreed on was discovering the gender of their babies. Gabriella had never liked surprises and she had joked that she was surprised enough to be pregnant and that she didn't need any more surprises.

Having looked through books, searched the internet and had lengthy discussions with family and friends, Troy and Gabriella had finally decided on a name for their new baby girl.

Matilda Mae Bolton would, if all went to plan this time, be born in exactly eight weeks time.

Everything was ready, the nursery had been decorated with delicate pink walls, the draws had been filled with clothes and all of the baby necessities were brought and found homes. Troy and Gabriella knew better than to not be ready, having had one premature baby they made absolutely sure that they had everything they needed well ahead of time.

"Why don't we go inside and be more comfortable?" Troy asked, knowing that Gabriella would only be comfortable on the hard swing seat for a short period of time.

Gabriella smiled and nodded her hair, pushing herself up from the chair and slowly making her way into the large comfortable living room.

As she settled herself down on the couch, sleep began to make her eyelids heavy

Maybe a little nap wasn't such a bad idea…

~TG~

Three hours later having taken a really long relaxing nap Gabriella stepped out of the bathroom, drying her hair after the long bath she had taken to wake herself up.

She rubbed her growing bump lovingly, the little girl who was currently inhabiting her uterus was sure active and had spent most of the morning kicking. Thankfully the warm water from the bath seemed to have relaxed her to sleep or at least to be still.

As Gabriella opened up the closet to search for her hairbrush she spotted a bottle of her favorite nail polish. It was something she hadn't worn for a long time; it frustrated her so much not being able to get to paint her toes that in the end she had just given up all together.

Suddenly an idea popped into her mind.

"Troy?" She called loudly, unsure of where he was in their large house and not possessing the energy to go and search for him. She knew that if she called he would come rushing, since her attack he had become a worrier and the minute she called for him he would be right there at her side.

Just as she had suspected, without even replying, Troy appeared in the doorway of their large bedroom; rushing to her side as if something terrible was about to happen.

"What? What is it?" He asked, inspecting her whole body as if he was going to fine some terrible injury that would threaten her life.

Gabriella giggled; placing her hands on his cheeks and bringing her soft lips to his in a slow loving kiss.

"Can you do me a really huge favor?" She asked sweetly, knowing that Troy would never refuse such a sweetly asked question.

Troy smiled down at her, placing his hands loving on her bump before kissing her again.

"You know I'd do anything for you," Troy nestled his nose against hers as he rubbed her bump lovingly.

Gabriella smiled, it was moments like this one that made her realize how lucky she was. Every girl wished to be treated like a princess, for Gabriella it was a lifestyle that had become a reality.

"Will you paint my toes?" Gabriella asked, handing Troy the bottle of nail polish and smiling sweetly up at him.

Troy sighed, he had said he would do anything but this seemed to be pushing it. He had never painted fingernails before let alone toes.

"Alright, alright…but if it looks terrible it's not my fault." Troy chuckled as he opened the pot and began painting Gabriella's big toe.

It was definitely harder than it looked; Troy thought to himself as he painted slowly, trying carefully not to get any of the polish on Gabriella's smooth skin.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" Maisie's singsong voice filled the room as she skipped down the hallway in search of her mother.

"In her baby girl!" Gabriella called back, allowing her daughter to find her and explain what it was she seemed so excited to share.

Gabriella couldn't be more proud of Maisie, not only has she inherited Gabriella's looks she had also inherited her incredible mind and was already well on the way to being able to write her name in well formed letters.

As Maisie rounded the corner into her parent's large room, she stopped and looked on puzzled at the scene that faced her.

"Daddy…why are you painting on mommy's toes?" Maisie asked, stepping further into the room and peering at the messy job her father was making of painting Gabriella's toenails.

Gabriella smiled and held out her arms to Maisie, becoming overwhelmed by the love she felt for the little girl as she climbed onto her mother's lap carefully and snuggled into her warm embrace.

"Because mommy can't reach all the way down here with Matilda still in her tummy. Sweetie, you know you have to be careful cuddling mommy like that right?" Troy spoke lovingly as he continued to paint Gabriella's toes, not noticing the disappointed look on Gabriella's face.

While she loved how protective Troy had always been of her, she felt it more than unnecessary for him to warm their tiny three year old daughter away from cuddling her.

"She's fine Troy, just let her be." Gabriella spoke softly as she smoothed her daughter's pass of thick curly hair lovingly.

She smiled to herself as she remembered the moment she had told Troy she was pregnant, children hadn't been something they had seriously discussed and while both knew they wanted children neither had put a timescale on their plans.

_Gabriella looked down nervously at the pregnancy test that sat in the palm of her right hand. She was three weeks later for her period and had been feeling horribly nauseated for the last week, enough had become enough and she had mustered up the courage to go to the drug store on the way home from work and buy several tests. _

_Her eyes were tight shut as she realized that three minutes had long past, yet there was still something stopping her from opening her eyes to discover if she was in fact pregnant. _

_As she opened her eyes nervously, it was just a single word displayed on the stick that forced the held back tears from her eyes. _

_Pregnant. _

_Just as she was about to hide the test to buy her time to figure out how to tell Troy, a loving voice filled the apartment. _

"_Gabriella? Babe? Are you home?" Troy called as he searched their small apartment for her, it would only be a matter of time before he found her, slumped against the bathtub in the en-suite bathroom. _

"_You might as well get it over with Gabriella," she muttered to herself, not bothering to move from her position on the floor, figuring that if Troy completely flipped out at least she wouldn't have far to go when she collapsed to the floor in tears. _

_Troy entered the bedroom; noticing the light on the bathroom and slowly making his way through the room, feeling curiosity fill his mind as he spotted his wife sat on the bathroom floor with tears running down her cheeks. _

"_Beautiful, what's happened?" Troy asked in a panic, fearing that someone had hurt her or something was seriously wrong with her. _

_Gabriella looked up at her husband, noting the concern in his eyes as he knelt down to her level and wiped away a stray tear with the pad of his thumb. _

_It was now or never. _

"_I'm pregnant," She whispered, passing Troy the positive pregnancy test before closing her eyes tightly and bracing herself for Troy to flip out and leave her. _

_Troy sighed as he gripped hold of the test, millions of thoughts ran through his head as he considered the right words to reassure his precious Gabriella. _

_Instead of speaking he moved forwards and bundled Gabriella into his arms, pulling her onto his lap and placing her head in the crook of his neck._

"_That's the most incredible news I've ever heard," he whispered to her softly, hoping his words would calm her evident fear. _

_As he felt Gabriella smile against his neck he realized his plan had worked. _

~TG~

"You're deep in thought," Troy mused as he fanned the nail varnish on Gabriella completed right foot, looking up at her happy face and wondering what on earth it was she could have been thinking about.

Gabriella giggled; Troy had always had a way of knowing when something was on her mind.

"I'm just thinking about the last few years. We've shared a lot of memories together and I kind of feel like I don't sit back and remember them enough." Gabriella spoke softly, smoother her daughter's hair as she rested her head tiredly in Gabriella's lap.

Her mind drifted once again to another important life event she had shared with Troy.

_Gabriella looked at herself in the mirror nervously, the white gown she was wearing hugging her features perfectly and flowing gracefully behind her. _

_This was one of the most important days of her life and the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach only made the nerves more difficult to control her nerves. _

_She could hear the orchestra they had hired, to fill the cathedral with music as the guests awaited the arrival of the bride and groom. The sound of the music relaxed her; something inside her told her that they wouldn't be playing if something terrible was happening, so everything behind the large doors of the room she was in must be okay. _

"_Gabriella sweetheart, it's time to start." Troy's angelic mother called through the large doors, signaling to Gabriella that it was time to take the bold step into her future. _

_Lucille Bolton had become a large part of Gabriella's life since she and Troy had begun their relationship. Up until that point she had never met Troy's parents, but having finally asked her to be his girlfriend, Troy arranged a long weekend for the couple in his home town of Albuquerque. _

_From the moment Gabriella had been pulled into a tight hug by the tall, brown haired woman she knew that she had found someone she would always be able to trust. Lucille had become the kind of mother she wished she had always had. Despite loving her mother very much, Gabriella had always longed for a mother she could just call for a chat, or one she would share her deepest worries and stresses with and Lucille had become that person. _

_In some ways this had strengthened Gabriella's relationship with her own mother, no longer was she frustrated and angry at Natalia but she had grown to accept her for how she was and embraced all of the fantastic things that her mother did for her. _

_She gripped hold of Lucille's arm tightly as they approached the huge wooden doors at the entrance to the cathedral. Waiting at the door for her was a tall man with dark skin and a cheeky grin on his face that would rival that of any small child. He was Chad Danforth, Troy's best friend, best man and someone that Gabriella had grown incredibly close. In the absence of her father, Chad had agreed to walk Gabriella down the long aisle and give her away to his most trusted friend. _

"_Are you ready?" Chad asked as he linked her slender arm with his own, rubbing his hand reassuringly up and down the smooth skin of her arm. _

_Gabriella took a deep breath in, as she released the deep breath the doors opened slowly and the orchestra began to play loudly. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest, a wave of dizziness washed over her as she allowed herself to be led up the stone steps by Chad. _

_When planning their wedding, both Troy and Gabriella had agreed that the orchestra wouldn't play the traditional wedding march. They had never been a traditional couple, and the idea of walking down the unusually long aisle to the very same song as every other bride in the country was somewhat suffocating for Gabriella. Instead, the couple listened to pieces of music they had enjoyed over the years and settled on a piece that was made up most of violins and was not too slow but not too fast and lasted just long enough that it wouldn't need to be repeated as Gabriella made her long journey to the altar. _

_She gripped hold of Chad's arm a little tighter as her satin shoes finally made contact with the smooth carpet that lined the cobble stone aisle. She could see Troy stood at the altar, nervously moving from one foot to the other. As the music signaled Gabriella's arrival she watched him turn to face the door, smiling brightly at her as she made her way towards him. _

_Every memory she had shared with him up to now flashed through her mind, every moment that had led to this day seemed to become insignificant as she stared straight ahead into his eyes. _

_It was now or never and nothing else in the world mattered. _

~TG~

She had been right that day, nothing that had happened in their past mattered anymore, only the new memories they had made together seemed significant in her mind. Not once since their marriage had she dwelled on Seth and what he had done to her, or how she had felt when she realized she might never find the perfect man for her.

All that mattered what she had found that man, and they had made one beautiful baby girl together and had another one that was just weeks away from entering the world.

As Troy continued to lovingly paint her toenails as their daughter snuggled deeper into her embrace, she began to fight back tears.

She had been working as a prosecution lawyer since returning from maternity leave, and she had prosecuted hundreds of cases of domestic violence. She knew how it felt, she had been there and to watch the women stand before a court and explain their stories hit a raw nerve for her. The worst cases were those in which there were no witnesses, she had escaped with her life and it pained her to think of all the women who hadn't been so lucky.

She had almost lost everything, but Troy had saved her from the life she had been living and now she had a life that only some women could dream of.

She had said it before but she would say it again, Troy was more caring than any man she could ever wish for. She could think of thousands of moments in their time together that stuck out in her mind as moments that he had been particularly loving, but one very special moment seemed to stick out more than any of the others.

~TG~

_Gabriella was tired; in fact she had decided she was more tired than tired. She came to the conclusion though, that in fact she was allowed to feel that way having just had a baby. _

_People had told her that smaller babies were less work, that she should hope for a small baby, but she wasn't sure how true she felt that to be. Her brand new baby girl came into the world weighing just six pounds and Gabriella considered that to be more than hard work…she couldn't imagine the work required to push out a baby any bigger than that. _

_Her pregnancy had been traumatic, she thought she knew what she signed up for but it had been completely different to anything she had ever imagined. Despite being earlier than anticipated, the labor and delivery had been silky smooth and the beautiful baby girl she had created with Troy was nothing less than perfect. _

_Having spent the last three days in hospital, Gabriella was more than ready to go home and as she tucked herself into the comfort of her own bed, she realized what a difference it made to be in a familiar very comfortable bed. _

_Spending extra time in hospital hadn't made her any less tired, the nurses were there to help if she needed them but aside from that she was all alone to care for baby Maisie without the help of Troy and that was something she had found hard. She had been anticipating being able to express milk so that Troy could bond with Maisie and help with night feeds but so far nothing had been as she had planned. But now that she was finally home she knew things would only get better. _

_As Gabriella closed her eyes she began to feel waves of emotion overtake her body, soon the tears that had once pooled in her eyes were quickly making tracks down her cheeks. _

"_Can I get you anything Beautiful?" Troy asked gently as he entered the room quietly, ensuring that he didn't disturb Gabriella's peacefulness too much. _

_It didn't take him long to notice the tears that were running down her cheeks. He hated to see her cry, especially when he had no idea what had caused her tears in the first place. _

"_Sweetheart? What's the matter?" He asked her, gently brushing the tears off her cheek with the pad of his thumb before kissing her forehead gently. _

_Gabriella shrugged her shoulders tensely, she really wasn't sure why she was crying it has just happened all of a sudden and she couldn't seem to make herself stop. _

"_I really don't know, I think I'm just tired and completely overwhelmed with everything. It's a lot to take in you know? This tiny beautiful little girl is completely dependent on me…what if I suck?" Gabriella asked, her bottom lip sticking out as she tried desperately to keep the sobs that were building within her chest. _

_Troy couldn't believe what he was hearing, all of a sudden his more than capable wife was freaking out that she would be a terrible mother. If he was honest, he had never met a woman so natural around tiny babies than Gabriella. _

"_Sweetheart, you aren't going to suck. She adores you already and you're doing great! The nurses in the hospital even said so themselves, you're a natural Gabriella. I know it's overwhelming for you, but I'm here to help you out as much as possible." Troy spoke softly as he quickly checked that baby Maisie was safe in her crib next to their bed before snuggling down next to Gabriella and pulling her tightly into his arms. _

_Gabriella's sobs began to settle as she sank deeper into Troy's arms, the feelings of love and security she took from him only intensifying as he expressed such admiration for her. _

"_I love you so much," Gabriella whispered as she settled into Troy's deep embrace, loving the feeling of strength this his words gave her. _

_They would figure it all out together, and together as their new little family, they would make the perfect team._

~TG~

"Okay, toes all finished." Troy chuckled as he stepped back and admired his work, if he could say so himself they looked perfect.

Gabriella smiled; the life they had made for themselves was incredible, better than she ever imagined her life would be.

She opened up her arms and pulled Troy down onto the bed, adjusting Maisie so that she was safely between herself and Troy and snuggled deeply into her husband's arms.

She had her amazing little family and she could just feel deep down inside that life was only going to get even better.

**Tadaaaa! It's finished! Once again I am sorry for any spelling/grammar issues, time for in-detail proof reading is currently somewhat limited haha. I was thinking of writing a oneshot at some point as like an epilogue to the epilogue, would anyone be interested in that? It would take me a while to write but I have a few ideas so let me know if you would be up for that. This has been Fear and Fidelity! I hope you have enjoyed it!**


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